Loudoun County’s sheriff wants parents to think twice about purchasing e-bikes for their kids.
Sheriff Mike Chapman said these e-bikes are not motorcycles, but they are also not regular bikes.
“You just push a button and zoom, you’re gone,” Chapman said. “Kids just stop paying attention and they just don’t understand exactly how dangerous these things can be.”
His warning comes on the heels of a crash Wednesday that left a teenager on an e-bike with serious injuries. Deputies are investigating what led up to the collision between the e-bike and a car in Sterling.
Chapman wants parents to “pay attention” to the e-bikes they have purchased for their kids and whether they are riding them properly.
He suggested that parents watch their kids as they learn how to ride an e-bike. Before buying, Chapman said to take a look at the county’s guidance on e-bikes.
“It kind of explains all the rules and regulations concerning the size of the bike, when a helmet must be worn, what ages people can ride at certain levels,” Chapman said.
Last year, Loudoun County warned parents about alarming trends with scooters and other smaller wheeled electric devices. The county found that in the first five months of 2025, compared to 2024, there was about a 70% increase in pedestrian and bicycle, e-bike, electric device-type crashes in the county.
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