Senate vote brings Florida one step closer to e-bike and e-scooter regulations

The Senate passed a bill that is a first step in Florida adding rules for electric bikes and scooters to protect pedestrians.

With a 37-0 vote Wednesday, the Senate passed SB 382, which comes amid a rise in e-bike and e-scooter crashes.

“It’s real,” said bill sponsor Sen. Keith Truenow. “It’s happening to a lot of youth in our communities and we have to take some kind of action to figure out how we can fix or correct (it) in the future.”

The bill sets up a task force to recommend e-bikes and electric scooters regulations that would prevent crashes and fatalities. It also forbids e-bike riders from going more than 10 mph on a sidewalk if a pedestrian is within 50 feet and would require riders to yield to pedestrians on a shared path. Violators would be punished with a noncriminal traffic infraction.

The bill will also require local and state law enforcement officials to keep uniform crash statistics so lawmakers can know the scope of the problem.

Meanwhile, the House version (HB 243) has advanced through all of its committees and is ready for the chamber floor.

What makes assessing the scope of the problem challenging is local and state law enforcement agencies report e-crashes differently.

Under SB 382, the Florida Highway Patrol, sheriff’s offices, and municipal police departments will be required to keep uniform crash statistics when an e-bikes or e-scooter is involved. The information they would be required to document will include the time and date of the crash, the electric vehicle driver’s age and whether the driver had a learner’s permit or a driver’s license. In addition, the class of the e-bike would be reported, if necessary.

By Oct. 15, each law enforcement agency would submit their records to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles which would be responsible for compiling the data and sharing it with the Governor, House Speaker and Senate President.

Meanwhile, the “Micromobility Device Safety Task Force” would be led by Dave Kerner, the executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Other task force members would include representatives from the Florida Sheriffs Association, the Florida League of Cities, Florida Association of Counties, a pedestrian safety advocate and a medical professor who has treated injured pedestrians and bicyclists.

“Appointments to the task force must be made within 15 days after this act becomes a law,” the bill reads. “The task force shall convene no later than 30 days after this act becomes a law. The task force shall meet at least monthly, but may meet more frequently at the call of the chair. At least one meeting of the task force must occur in each of the following regions of the state: North Florida, Central Florida, and South Florida.”