E-bikes are becoming the first car of LA teenagers and parents are terrified
The e-bike is becoming the “first car” for LA teenagers.And parents are discovering that buying independence for their kids comes with a truckload of worries.Growing up in Livingston, New Jersey, I was a bit of an anomaly among my friends.
Everyone else couldn’t wait to get a permit and a driver’s license.I preferred being driven to and from school.Our high school parking lot had everything from Toyotas to Range Rovers.
Whatever the logo, a first car meant freedom and a glimpse of who you wanted to be.When I moved to LA in my early 20s, that appeal made even more sense.In this car-obsessed city, freedom and a first set of wheels were practically inseparable, a coming-of-age ceremony.
Now, the first set of wheels turning heads outside schools may come with handlebars and a battery.At the high end, there are e-bikes that cost $20,000 — more than a used Mercedes.But a standard e-bike costing around $2,000 can give a teenager independence for a fraction of the price of a used car, without the gasoline bills or the expense of adding a teenage driver to the family’s insurance.
Charging, maintenance and a helmet still cost money, but a parent can save considerably while reclaiming afternoons from the pickup circuit.“Can you drive me?” becomes “Can I take my bike?” That adds hours back into a parent’s schedule.And for a teenager, the freedom of an e-bike feels like admission to a better social life.
But there are major risks.The parent imagines their son or daughter taking a sensible route to school.
Their teenager imagines taking the e-bike everywhere else.Then come the hospital numbers.Children’s Hospital Los Angeles reported in July that it was seeing about one child a day with e-bike injuries this summer, compared with 10 children in all of June 2025.
The largest number of crashes involved teens between ages 14 to 17.About one child a day.At one hospital.The injuries can be severe.
The hospital describes concussions, fractures, internal t...