By Marley Brennan
Staff Writer
Electric bikes have become a highly controversial mode of transportation, especially when it comes to teenage riders. When the rider is responsible and experienced, e-bikes are safe, convenient and beneficial.
Electric bikes (e-bikes) are bicycles with an added battery-powered motor that increases the speed at which one can ride at. There are various types for sale: class one, two, and three. Class one e-bikes can go up to 20 miles per hour when one pedals. With class two e-bikes, however, one does not need to pedal; these go up to 20 miles per hour without it. Lastly, class three-bikes offer assistance with pedaling and can reach up to 28 miles per hour. Evidently, there are varying rules in different zones regarding which kinds are allowed and up to what speed.
According to the New York Times, a study reported that e-bikes can raise one’s heart-rate and count as sufficient exercise. The study also reported that allowing teenagers to become accustomed to the vehicle decreases the chances of accidents, simultaneously increasing attendance in school.
Due to the pandemic, poorer mental health rates have surged, causing people to lean toward spending an excessive amount of time at home. Many took up biking as an activity to get out of the house, according to Census.gov. Fortunately, exercise causes a release of endorphins that act as your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters, according to Mayo Clinic. Biking outdoors allows riders minds’ to wander away from worldly troubles, simultaneously boosting the riders’ mood. Electric bikes are proven to be safe, and are also incredibly beneficial when it comes to mental health, according to Easy E-Biking.
As reported by E-Biking Today, electric bikes allow teens to gain limited independence. It states that when teens gain this independence, they have a will to come home as opposed to when teens are given no freedom and do not want to return home. Getting back home before curfew is made easy as a result of the speed and efficiency.
Many may argue that electric bikes cause an increase of accidents because the riders disobey traffic laws. Additionally, many resent the fact that they are permitted to ride on the road. Yet, the majority of the accidents recorded on e-bikes, according to Easy Reader, are due to the bikers’ mistreatment of their bicycle.
Electric bikes prove to be beneficial for teenagers as it is a source of exercise, mentally healthy and not dangerous.
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