Parents Pay Steep Price for Children's Electric Bike Rides

Powerful electric bikes, often masquerading as bicycles but functioning like mopeds or motorcycles, are creating chaos on Polish roads and sidewalks. These vehicles are frequently used by food delivery workers and are increasingly popular among teenagers.

Parents who buy these for their children may not grasp the full danger. Unlike legal electric bikes that assist up to 25 km/h, some of these machines can reach speeds of 75 km/h. This poses a significant risk to both the riders and pedestrians.

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Parents who buy such vehicles for their children probably do not fully realize the seriousness of the situation.

Authorities are enforcing the law, which requires these vehicles to have homologation and registration for road use. A recent case in Bialystok saw a mother fined 5,000 PLN because her 14-year-old son was riding such a vehicle on a public road. The vehicle was classified as a moped, not an electric bicycle.

Under Polish law, parents can be fined between 1,000 and 5,000 PLN for allowing an unlicensed person to drive or for allowing a vehicle without proper registration to be used. Children under 17 generally aren't fined directly but can face measures from juvenile courts. The police can also confiscate these vehicles, adding transport and storage fees for the owner to recover them.

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Allowing a vehicle to be driven by a person without a license... and a vehicle despite the lack of required documents certifying its roadworthiness is punishable by restriction of liberty or a fine from 1,000 to 5,000 PLN.