Is Your Teen Ready for an Ebike? Ten Key Skills to Assess

Electric bikes are becoming increasingly popular, even among younger riders. However, before you let your child hop on an ebike, it’s crucial to ensure they have the necessary skills to ride safely. This post will guide you through ten important skills to assess if your teen is ready for an ebike. Woven throughout are three primary characteristics of a safe rider: situational awareness; judgment; and predictive reasoning.

Why These Characteristics are Important

Ebikes can reach higher speeds than traditional bicycles, making it even more important for young riders to have well-developed cognitive and physical skills. In addition to being fast, ebikes are also heavier than regular bicycles. They can cause harm to pedestrians and other bike riders. Situational awareness helps bike riders navigate complex traffic environments, while good judgment and predictive reasoning allow them to make safe decisions on the road and bike path.

10 Essential Skills to Evaluate if Your Teen is Prepared for Safe Ebiking

1. Traffic Awareness

An understanding of the rules of the road and how traffic flows is critical for a teenager to be prepared for safe ebiking.

• Can your child identify and react to potential road hazards?
• Do they understand and follow traffic rules and signs?
• Are they able to judge the speed and distance of approaching vehicles?

2. Impulse Control

Teenagers are notorious for impulsive behavior. That can be dangerous and disruptive when combined with a heavy, fast vehicle. Maturity is essential for your teen to be ready for an ebike.

• Does your child resist distractions while riding?
• Can they patiently wait for safe opportunities to cross or turn?
• Are they willing to choose an appropriate speed for the situation, even if the ebike can easily go faster?
• Do they understand the dangers associated with using a cell phone while riding, or obstructing their ability to hear with earbuds?

3. Decision-Making Skills

Kids develop decision-making skills at different ages. Set up hypothetical traffic scenarios to explore how your teen might handle them. Ask them to explain their decision-making process.

• Can they make quick, appropriate decisions in various traffic scenarios?
• Do they show good judgment when faced with unexpected situations?
• Are they able to prioritize safety over convenience or peer pressure?

4. Spatial Awareness

Early teens are just beginning to develop the ability to estimate distances and speeds. Pay close attention to the skills needed to operate a 20mph vehicle.

• Can your child accurately judge distances between themselves and other objects or vehicles?
• Do they understand their bike’s dimensions when navigating tight spaces?
• Are they aware of their surroundings, including areas they can’t directly see?

5. Predictive Abilities

Predictive reasoning is a cornerstone of the defensive driving practices we teach in the Ebike Pro course, as well as our adult bicycling courses. It is both anticipating the outcome of your behaviors, and predicting the behaviors of others. The good news is, most crashes are caused by predictable and avoidable mistakes. In fact, They are avoidable by a bike rider even when they are the motorist’s mistake. Here are some questions to assess if your teen is prepared for safe ebiking.

• Do they know where the risk areas are?
• Can they anticipate the actions of other road users?
• Do they understand cause-and-effect relationships in traffic situations?
• Are they able to foresee potential consequences of their own actions while riding?

6. Physical Coordination

Assessment of physical coordination begins with a regular bicycle. Certainly, a teen should have mastery of handling a lighter, non-powered bicycle before moving on to a fast, heavy ebike.

• Does your child have the necessary balance and motor skills to control an ebike safely?
• Can they perform multiple actions simultaneously (e.g., steering, braking, and signaling)?
• Are they able to maintain control of the bike at various speeds?

7. Emotional Maturity

An ebike may be classified as a bicycle, but it is much closer to a moped. Here are some things to consider to know if your teen is ready for safe ebiking.

• Can they remain calm under pressure or in unexpected situations?
• Do they show responsibility and accountability for their actions?
• Can they resist peer pressure, or engaging in behavior intended to impress other teenagers?
• Are they able to admit mistakes and learn from them?

8. Communication Skills

Communication is a superpower! It is an under-utilized tool by even adult bicyclists. You can prepare your teen for safe and successful ebiking by helping them communicate with other road and path users.

• Can your child effectively signal their intentions to other road users?
• Can your teen turn around to look back without swerving?
• Are they willing to politely announce their presence before passing another person on a path?
• Do they listen to and follow instructions from adults or safety instructors?

9. Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is a challenge for bike riders who don’t know where the risks are. For example, excessive fear of lesser threats can distract attention from more common ones. More importantly, teenage boys often have an unwarranted level of fearlessness that can lead them to dangerous behaviors (like riding wheelies in traffic).

• Can they identify potentially dangerous situations before they become immediate threats?
• Do they show an appropriate level of caution without being overly fearful?
• Are they able to weigh the risks and benefits of different actions while riding?

10. Adaptability

The traffic environment is ever-changing. Teens who understand this and can adapt are prepared for safe ebiking.

• Can your child adjust their riding style to different environments?
• Do they demonstrate flexibility in responding to changing traffic conditions?
• Are they able to apply learned skills to new or unfamiliar situations?

How to Assess These Skills to Know if Your Teen is Ready for an Ebike

To evaluate your child’s readiness for ebike riding:

1. Ride with your teen on regular bicycles
2. Observe them in controlled riding situations
3. Discuss hypothetical traffic scenarios
4. Gradually expose them to more complex riding environments under close supervision
5. Take a bike safety class with them

Remember, every child develops at a different rate. Ongoing assessment and training are needed to ensure your teen’s safety on an ebike.

Extra Help to Get Your Teenager Prepared for Safe Ebiking

The Ebike Pro course is designed to prepare your teen for safe ebiking. Lessons enhance situational awareness, build good judgment and develop the knowledge for informed predictive reasoning.

Conclusion

Determining if your teen is ready for an ebike requires some honest observation and inquiry. The payoff is not only a safer teen rider today, but a better driver in the future. By evaluating the ten key skills outlined in this post, you can make an informed decision about your child’s readiness for ebike riding. Always prioritize safety and continue to monitor and develop these skills as your child grows.

Now That You Know Your Teen is Ready for an Ebike

Check out our parent’s guide to choosing a safe and legal ebike for your teen.