Body of News Release
Marin County, CA – As Marin County students return to classrooms, there is a renewed countywide push for electric-assisted bicycle (e-bike) safety as families prepare for school commutes. Marin County Public Health is directing families to the E-Bikers Club education campaign and new Marin Emergency Medical Services (EMS) injury data ahead of back-to-school.
Marin County Public Health has spent the past two and a half years tracking e-bike and bicycle-related 911 responses across the county through its Bicycle Safety Dashboard, which is updated monthly. That real-time monitoring prompted the County's e-bike safety alert in November 2023, following a sharp increase in e-bike-related injuries among young riders.
New EMS data show e-bike accident rates among Marin youth ages 10–15 dropped from 16.25 to 11.65 per 10,000 residents between July 2024 and June 2026. That period spanned the year before and after implementation of the Marin E-bike Safety Pilot Program. Despite the encouraging one-year decline, the accident rate for this age group remains nearly four times higher than for other age groups.
The pilot program was authorized by Assembly Bill 1778, authored by Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D–San Rafael). It took full effect in early fall 2025, once the County and all 11 Marin cities and towns had adopted matching ordinances. Under the new rules, no one under 16 may operate a Class 2 e-bike (throttle-assisted, max 20 mph) anywhere in Marin, and riders of all ages must wear a helmet on one.
Dr. Lisa Santora, Marin County Public Health Officer, said local e-bike accident injury data clearly shows a surge in accidents among youth in the late summer and fall.
“We want families to have this information before school starts; prevention happens before an injury, not after,” Santora said. “We continue to emphasize safe practices for riding e-bikes, especially among our youngest riders. Because the total number of incidents each year is relatively small, we caution against overinterpreting these early results. Another year of data collection will provide a stronger basis for assessing longer-term trends and any potential impacts of Assembly Bill 1778.”
Marin County Public Health will continue collecting and analyzing data to better understand trends over time and provide future updates to the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) Board as additional information becomes available. Public Health staff will present the latest EMS data to the TAM Board of Commissioners at their Thursday, September 24 meeting. The meeting will be at the Marin Civic Center in the Board Chambers (Suite 330) at 3501 Civic Center Drive in San Rafael and begins at 6 pm.
The County collaborated with TAM to launch the E-Bikers Club in May 2025 to boost public education for families for AB 1778, explain the different classes of legal e-bikes, and promote safe riding for youth. Since the campaign was launched last spring, Marin's youth safety work inspired a federal bill introduced to by U.S. Congressmember Jared Huffman, Marin's representative at the Capitol.
The E-Bikers Club emphasizes fun and safety simultaneously to reach the target audience of middle and high schoolers and their parents. Young riders can read and sign the E-bikers Club pledge in English or Spanish to wear a helmet, follow traffic laws, and be mindful of others on the road. The club’s webpage has free posters to download and display, Safe Routes to Schools information, a link to public health statistics, and answers to frequently asked questions.
"We're not trying to get kids off bikes; we want more of them riding safely," said County Supervisor Mary Sackett, who has led the Marin County Special Committee on Youth E-Bike Safety. "E-bikes offer benefits for student health and our schools when ridden safely and responsibly. We want to make sure every rider is ready for the road."