Parent’s E-Bike Survival Guide, 2nd Edition!
Great news: ABEA Board member Beth Black has published a second edition of her book, The Caring Parent’s E-Bike Survival Guide. And — it is now number one in three categories on Amazon.com: Consumer Guides, Parenting Reference and Education Reference.
We asked Beth:
Why a second edition?
The first edition was a trailblazer. When it first came out, cities and towns were just starting to wake up to the dangers of e-bikes and e-motos, but nobody had a cohesive plan to handle them.
It took a little time for the word to spread, but once it did, the response was incredible. The book became my calling card. It led to invitations to speak at national events for the American Trauma Society and the National Bicycle Dealers Association.
More importantly, it introduced the Bellemont Project to leaders who were tired of ineffective quick fixes. They were waiting for a real, strategic way to keep their communities safe. That first edition proved that parents and professionals were hungry for a better way to handle e-bike safety — and it set the stage for the massive response we’re seeing with the second edition today.
What have you discovered since the first edition?
The second edition is much more than an update — it’s a response to a world that has changed overnight. In just two years, the industry has shifted. Several manufacturers have been aggressively selling illegal e-motos disguised as bicycles. They use tricks like ghost pedals and easily disabled speed controls to fool parents. I realized that families need a clear guide on how to check motor wattage and speed capabilities before they buy.
I’ve also discovered that many legislators and civic leaders are struggling. They’re passing laws that might look good on paper but don’t actually save lives. In some cases, these rules even harm the bicycle industry without making kids any safer. As I feared, the number of serious injuries is only increasing.
Many legislators and civic leaders are struggling. In some cases, they’re passing laws that harm the bicycle industry without making kids any safer.
The biggest breakthrough for me was the research of Dr. David Yeager. His work proves that an enforcer mindset — relying only on punishment through laws and traffic tickets — doesn’t work with the teenage brain. My book bridges this advance in adolescent psychology with e-bike safety to give parents a Mentor Mindset. That helps parents build the skills to keep their kids and communities safe while respecting their independence.
Finally, I found a surprising solution in the history of snowboarding. Just like e-bikes today, snowboarding was once an “outlaw activity.” It only became safe once it became a real sport with sanctioned spaces to train, perform, and compete. By moving from the streets to the stadiums, we can protect our sidewalks and give talented teens a safe place to grow.
YouTube influencers are calling out teens to ride en masse, taking over streets. What do you think about this phenomenon.
I’ve been watching these influencers since publishing the first edition, and the situation is alarming. Despite new laws, their popularity is exploding. They’re reaching millions of kids at lightning speed, often making money by promoting high-risk behavior.
These kids are risking their lives for a two-second shout-out from a famous influencer.
I see videos of influencers telling kids to slam their new helmets onto the pavement or show them how to clip wires to make their bikes go 60 mph. They never talk about the risks. If a kid crashes during a rideout, the influencer might show it for two seconds before cutting to something more fun. They edit out the reality of the danger.
In the second edition of The Caring Parent‘s E-Bike Survival Guide, I have a chapter called “The Rise of the Invisible Stuntman.” Science shows us that teenagers are biologically driven to seek status and respect. These kids are risking their lives for a two-second shout-out from a famous influencer. Usually, the teen stays anonymous while the influencer gets all the fame and money.
I want to change that. These kids have incredible talent, but they have no place to go. I’m working to move this movement from the streets to the stadiums. We should work with motocross to create sanctioned spaces where these young riders on e-motos can train, perform, and compete safely. My only rule? You have to keep a clean record on the street to participate. A kid who is talented enough to stand on the seat of an e-moto while riding should be in a stadium, not on a freeway!
Some parents are now being criminally charged for their kids’ actions. What is your reaction to these stories?
I saw this coming. For a long time, the system focused only on punishing the teens. But simply making kids sit in early-morning classes to hear more traffic rules hasn’t worked. Most kids already know the rules — the problem is that they are failing to prioritize what they have learned. Either they forget to follow laws while enjoying a ride, or they aggressively choose to adopt the rebel mindset promoted by the online influencers.
Now, the legal system is turning toward the parents. Honestly, it’s a necessary wake-up call. A parent who buys an illegal e-moto for a child is part of the problem.
Now, the legal system is turning toward the parents. Honestly, it’s a necessary wake-up call. Some parents are making dangerous decisions just for convenience, or to make their child happy, and they need to understand the stakes. A parent who buys an illegal e-moto for a child is part of the problem.
However, threatening parents with jail time is only half the battle. Punishment alone doesn’t change behavior. If we want parents to do a better job, we have to give them the skills to succeed. That’s where the second edition of my book comes in. It moves beyond the enforcer mindset and gives parents the actual tools they need to lead their teens. This is about combining accountability with the right information to keep families out of the courtroom and young riders out of the hospitals.
What are your thoughts about the wave of new laws affecting e-bikes and their riders?
In many states, the new laws are a knee-jerk reaction. People see a problem and their first thought is, There ought to be a law! But we are dealing with the outlaw mindset that’s being sold to our kids. When a teen identifies as an outlaw, more laws just make the ride feel more exciting. And laws restricting legal Class 2 e-bikes as a result of poor conduct on illegal e-motos, just because both have throttles, only makes society’s response seem hilariously inept to these young riders.
laws restricting legal Class 2 e-bikes as a result of poor conduct on illegal e-motos, just because both have throttles, only makes society’s response seem hilariously inept to these young riders.
We saw the tragic result of this recently in Lake Forest, California. A 14-year-old was performing power-wheelies on an illegal e-moto near a high school when he struck and critically injured an 81-year-old substitute teacher. The boy fled the scene, and his mother allegedly tried to cover for him. She is now facing multiple felony charges.
The sad truth is that the bike was already against the law. The mother had even been warned by police months earlier. Laws alone didn’t stop this tragedy because neither the mother nor the son had been given the behavioral tools to understand the consequences of their actions. They needed a diversion program, like the Bellemont Project’s Incline Program, to change how they think about safety.
A few years ago, California State Representative Dave Min introduced a bill to study e-bike safety, which led to the release of a report by the Mineta Traffic Institute. Now, it’s time for the state to act, again. We need a real count of what bikes are actually parked in our school parking lots. A recent study conducted by Safe Routes to Schools in parts of Northern California found that as few as 12% of the bikes seen at some schools were actually legal e-bikes. The majority were illegal e-motos. If we don’t identify the real problem, we will never find the truly strategic solutions. That’s why the second edition of my book is so urgent — it gives parents the truth about what is legal and the skills to mentor their kids before a tragedy happens.
Most parents feel like they are losing the battle with their kids over e-bike safety. Is there one thing they can do today to change the conversation?
Yes. The most important thing a parent can do right now is to shift from the Enforcer Mindset to the Mentor Mindset. When you just shout rules or threaten to take the bike away, the teenage brain actually shuts out that message. Science shows that kids at this age aren’t trying to be bad — they’re looking for status and respect. If you want them to listen, you have to use what experts call Wise Feedback. Instead of saying, “You’re riding like an idiot,” try saying: “I’m telling you this because I have very high standards for your safety, and I know you are a talented enough rider to meet them.” This simple shift shows you respect their skill while still holding a firm line on safety. It turns you into their coach instead of their enemy.
We don’t have to choose between our kids’ fun and their safety. We just need the right tools to mentor them through it.
But there is a second, very practical step: Check your insurance. Most parents don’t realize that if their child is riding an illegal, out-of-class e-moto, their homeowner’s or other insurance likely will not cover them in a crash. You could be personally liable for hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills or legal fees.
The second edition of The Caring Parent’s E-Bike Survival Guide gives parents the needed scripts for these conversations and a checklist to make sure that the bike — and their family’s finances — are actually protected. We don’t have to choose between our kids’ fun and their safety. We just need the right tools to mentor them through it.
Also see:
Teen Ebike Training online course.
PowerSavvy — course for adult e-bike riders
Beth Black brilliantly cuts through the bromides, the standard ineffectual responses and the hand-wringing with which most people approach the issue.
We are lucky to have her.