Kids Cannot Ride Special Bike On The Road In Utah

A few years back I started to ride a bike to work which was great in the morning. Even though it was uphill the coolness of the morning made it so I could ride and arrive looking pretty fresh. The ride home to lunch was downhill so that worked, but coming back after lunch was uphill and I struggled to not resemble a melted ice cream cone in August when I made it back to work.

Then I discovered a simple add-on gyro motor that converted my bike to an e-bike.

The e-bike craze has only increased. It is a nice way to get from A to B, especially among the younger set who don't have a driver's license yet, but do have the desire for some mobile freedom.

The growing popularity has created a growing debate over safety and laws concerning e-bikes.

Obviously, kids cannot ride a Harley down the Boulevard without a license, but they can ride a traditional bike on public roads and bike trails. So where is the dividing line in Utah?

Speed!

Photo by Dietmar Janssen: https://www.pexels.com/photo/boy-in-black-nutshell-helmet-on-blue-bmx-bike-having-hangtime-after-taking-off-on-ramp-175353/

Here are the moving parts of the law. An e-bike equipped with pedals, similar to a regular bicycle, which is powered primarily by human effort is considered a bike. If the e-bike is self-propelled, whether through electricity or gas AND (pay attention to the "and") has the capability to exceed 30 miles per hour, it's officially categorized as a motorcycle in the State of Utah.

Photo by Isaac Taylor: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-wearing-grey-cardigan-holding-bike-2119789/

Of course, if the bike is not able to be propelled by human power it is not considered a bike. I don't think they test the human to see how capable they are to move the bike.