America is panicking about e-bikes while ignoring the real problem

If you spend enough time reading local news headlines these days, you’d be forgiven for thinking electric bicycles are one of the greatest threats facing American streets. Teenagers on fat-tire e-bikes, viral videos of wheelies, stories about injuries complete with ER doctor interviews… the same themes are playing on repeat.

And yes, these are real concerns worth discussing. Walk around just about any town in the US, and you’ll eventually see some issues yourself.

Some riders behave irresponsibly. Some companies sell vehicles that blur the line between e-bikes and electric motorcycles. Some inexperienced riders are suddenly traveling at speeds they aren’t prepared to handle.

But somewhere along the way, the conversation seems to have lost all sense of proportion.