After son's injury, Apex mom urges e-bike safety

Some parents purchasing what they believe are e-bikes for their children are inadvertently buying electric motorcycles, which in North Carolina require a license, registration and insurance.
Posted 10/8/2025, 11:22:51 PM Updated 10/9/2025, 12:00:07 AM

SALES DISCUSSION, CHECK OUT THE

STORY ON WRAL DOT COM. AT LEAST

3 LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS HAVE

POSTED

ONLINE WARNINGS.

>> ABOUT ILLEGAL E-BIKE USE.

THIS IS HAPPENING IN RECENT

WEEKS. OFFICERS SAY DANGEROUS

RIDING IS LEADING TO ADDED

HAZARDS ON THE ROAD. WRAL'S

WHEN SNYDER HAS AN APEX

MOTHER'S WARNING FOR OTHER

PARENTS.

>> AND YOU JUST PUT IN THE

CREDIT CARD NUMBER AND THEY

SHIP IT TO THE HOUSE WHEN

LAUREN LOVETTE BOUGHT HER 15

YEAR-OLD SON COLTON AND

ELECTRIC BIKE. SHE NEVER

THOUGHT IT WOULD END WITH A

TRIP TO THE ER. COLTON CAME

OVER A BLIND HILL TOO QUICKLY.

HE WAS HE WAS SPEEDING. HE LAID

IT DOWN. IT WENT UNDER THE CAR.

SO HE ESSENTIALLY HIS LEGS ARE

UNDER THE CAR AND HE HAD TO

KIND OF WALK HIMSELF BACK OUT

FROM UNDER THE CAR. THE CRASH

LEFT COLTON WITH A BROKEN ARM

AND A BIG DISCOVERY FOR HIS

MOM. WE LEARNED THAT AND THAT

IS, IN FACT, A MOTORCYCLE,

WHICH IF SOMEONE SAID WOULD

YOU BUY YOUR KID A MOTORCYCLE,

YOU WOULD SAY OBVIOUSLY NOT

LIKE NOBODY WOULD DO THAT WOULD

LET IT CONSIDERED AN E-BIKE WAS

ACTUALLY A VEHICLE THAT STATE

LAW REQUIRES RIDERS TO HAVE A

LICENSE REGISTRATION AND

INSURANCE FOR HEALTH AND HIS

15. SO HE HAS NONE OF THOSE

THINGS. IT'S A LEGAL

DISTINCTION THAT APEX POLICE

SAY IS UNKNOWN TO MANY YOUNG.

THE BIKE RIDERS IS VERY

CONCERNING BECAUSE SOME OF

THESE ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLES ARE

PUSHING 30, 40 MILES AN HOUR

AND THEY CAN BE VERY, VERY

DANGEROUS. OFFICER BRAD MEIER

SAYS BIKES WITHOUT PEDALS THAT

GO OVER 20 MILES PER HOUR WITH

THE MORE THAN 750 WATT MOTOR

ARTS CONSIDER BICYCLES UNDER

STATE LAW HERE IN APEX E-BIKES

LEGALLY NOT CONSIDERED

BICYCLES, HAVE TO STAY ON THE

ROAD MEAN YOU CAN'T RIDE THEM

ON GREENWAYS LIKE THIS ONE.

POLICE SAY VIOLATIONS CAN COME

WITH CHARGES IF THEY'RE YOUNGER

THAN 16, THEY CANNOT BE CHARGED

OF ICE A CITATION. THEY WOULD

HAVE TO BE A JUVENILE PETITION

LOVE. IT'S AS COLD AND IS

EXPECTED TO RECOVER AND HOPES

HIS CRASH IS A WAKE-UP CALL FOR

OTHER PARENTS. I THINK

EVERYBODY SEES ELECTRIC AND

THEY THINK IT'S JUST A FREE

PASS.

>> AND SO I DEFINITELY DO YOUR

RESEARCH CALLED THE POLICE.

IF

YOU'RE UNSURE AND YOU KNOW,

RUNNING BY THEM AND UNKNOWN

DISTINCTION THAT LOVE IT SAYS

CAN LEAD TO MEDICAL AND LEGAL

TROUBLE FOR INSIDER WRAL.

NEWS, APEX APEX. POLICE SAY

MORE E-BIKES ON THE ROAD ARE

LEADING TO MORE 9-1-1. CALLS

OFFICERS ENCOURAGE PARENTS TO

CHECK THEIR BIKES. MOTOR

WATTAGE TOP SPEED AND REQUIRE