HONOLULU (KHON2) — Wednesday morning, an Ewa teen riding an electronic motorcycle collided with an automobile at the Kolowaka Dr. and Fort Weaver Road intersection. He was rushed to the nearest hospital, and later succumbed to his injuries.
He was 14 years old.
Honolulu Police say that the boy was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, and was traveling in a marked crosswalk against the do not walk sign.
With the accident fresh on everybody’s mind, the City Council advises the public to proceed with caution on electronic bicycles and to be aware of the rules in place surrounding them.
“Bill 52 basically tells the residents, 15 years old, you shouldn’t be on a bike. If you’re 18 and below, you need to wear a helmet,” said Augie Tulba, Honolulu City Council. “It’s a simple bill to help people and remind people that we have to be cautious.
Mayor Rick Blangiardi signed Bill 52 into law in February. The Bill was meant to regulate the growing popularity of electronic bicycles on the road.
“One of the main reasons (the bill was signed) was an incident involving a young girl,” said Tulba. “This week, with the 14-year-old boy, it breaks my heart that these things happen, and I think it could have been avoided if we followed the rules.”
With the bike’s main demographic being children, city leaders are also urging parents to step up and do their part to enforce the rules to keep their children safe.
“We all have a responsibility and we need to be talking to our children. When you see a kid without the helmet, just a reminder, roll down your window and say ‘hey, where’s your helmet?’” said Tulba. “Maybe if we can do good like that maybe, just maybe, things like we saw this week won’t happen.”
The Department of Education shares a similar sentiment, saying in a statement “The safety of students traveling to and from school is a shares responsibility across our community. We encourage families to have open conversations with their children about safe and responsible use of e-bikes.”
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The DOE also says there is no statewide policy on the bikes across the 258 public schools.
KHON reached out to E-bikes Hawaii for comment and did not hear back.