Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
Leesfield & Partners’ Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, sat down with Fox 35 Orlando’s Garrett Wymer to discuss Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision to veto Senate Bill 382, a bipartisan e-bike safety bill.
“This is chaos,” Mr. Leesfield said. “If you go into any municipality on a Friday night, you’ll see people doing wheelies, weaving in and out [of traffic]. And neither the governor, no you, nor I … can tell an e-bike operator where to operate his or her e-bike. What is safe?”
If it had been passed, SB 382 would have created a 10 mph speed limit for e-bike riders when within 50 feet of a pedestrian on sidewalks and shared paths and mandate audible signals when passing these individuals. Additionally, the bill outlined requirements for the creation of a task force to monitor crash statistics and data collected by police throughout the state to make future recommendations.
At a press conference to discuss the veto, DeSantis said he didn’t know the full scope of the issue and suggested “maybe there’s problems” but that they certainly would lead to “more surveillance of people by law enforcement.”
For Mr. Leesfield, the bill would have signaled that the safety concerns he first identified in 2019 were finally being meaningfully addressed, offering greater protection and reassurance for pedestrians statewide.
“There’s no regulation whatsoever on an industry and on a form of danger that is not being monitored,” he told reporters. “I think the governor started out saying ‘maybe there are problems. There’s no ‘maybe’ here.”
Mr. Leesfield and Leesfield & Partners have spent years warning about the dangers of e-bikes throughout Florida and, following the recent veto, they will continue to speak out regarding the lack of safeguards for micromobility devices.
Local media have reported a rise in e-bike accidents involving severe injuries, often linked to inconsistent helmet use. For children in particular, the consequences of these crashes can be life-altering. Data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission showed that there were 117,600 injuries from these devices treated in emergency rooms from 2017 to 2021. In that time, 25% of these incidents involved young people from 15 to 24 years old. From 2020 to 2021, the agency found that there was a 66% increase in injuries as the popularity of these devices continued to soar.
Schools, safety organizations, law enforcement, medical professionals, and bicycle advocacy groups should work together in promoting education and responsible riding. Public awareness campaigns, rider training, appropriate helmet use, and consistent enforcement are essential components of any meaningful safety strategy.
Parents should understand that many e-bikes are capable of speeds far beyond those of traditional bicycles. These are not toys. They require maturity, training, and a clear understanding of the rules of the road.
For more information about e-bike safety in Florida, call 305-854-4900
