Parents Face Charges After Children Ride Electric Motorcycles
Adults Held Responsible for Children’s Riding
In more communities, parents are facing criminal charges after their children are involved in serious crashes on electric motorcycles. Officials are taking action when they believe adults allowed children to ride these vehicles illegally or unsafely.
Videos shared online have shown groups of children riding electric motorcycles on public roads. Some clips show riders doing stunts or moving through busy streets. These actions can put the children and other people nearby in danger.
Electric motorcycles, often called e-motos, are not the same as ordinary electric bikes. They have stronger motors. In California, children under 16 are not allowed to ride them.
Charges Follow a Fatal Crash
In Orange County, California, prosecutors have brought charges against 12 parents accused of allowing their children to ride e-motos illegally. The county’s top prosecutor says the cases are meant to make parents take responsibility and help prevent more children from being hurt or killed.
Among the adults charged are the parents of Benson Nguyen, who was 13. Nguyen had posted videos of himself performing risky tricks on an electric motorcycle to a social media account.
Police said Nguyen was riding recklessly at more than 40 miles per hour in Garden Grove when he lost control and struck a light pole. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died from his injuries. His parents were charged with child endangerment.
The case shows the serious consequences that can follow when a child rides a powerful vehicle in a dangerous way. It also raises a difficult question for families: how should adults be held responsible when a young person breaks the law and is badly hurt?
A Difficult Decision for Prosecutors
The county’s top prosecutor has said that charging parents is not something he wants to do. He has also said that he believes the law must have consequences, especially when a child’s actions create a serious risk.
He has described the issue as personal, noting that he has raised two children. His stated goal is to send a warning to other families and encourage parents to pay attention to how their children use e-motos.
These cases do not change the fact that a child was killed. They do show that prosecutors may look at whether adults allowed a child to use a vehicle the child was too young to ride. In Orange County, the charges have focused on parents accused of permitting illegal riding.
A Wider Safety Problem
Electric bikes and electric motorcycles have been linked to more than 125 deaths and tens of thousands of injuries across the United States. In Orange County, these vehicles have become the leading cause of emergency room visits among young people.
The figures cover both e-bikes and e-motos, which are different kinds of vehicles. The concern is especially sharp with e-motos because their motors are more powerful, and young riders may use them at high speeds or attempt dangerous stunts.
Key facts in the cases include:
- California bars children under 16 from riding electric motorcycles.
- Prosecutors in Orange County have charged 12 parents accused of allowing illegal e-moto riding.
- A 13-year-old boy died after losing control of an e-moto traveling at more than 40 miles per hour and hitting a light pole.
- His parents face child-endangerment charges.
- Electric bikes and motorcycles have been tied to deaths and tens of thousands of injuries nationwide.
Parents Face a Clear Warning
The charges send a warning that adults may face legal consequences if they let children ride electric motorcycles illegally. Prosecutors say they hope that holding parents accountable will help protect other young riders.
For families, the central safety issue is whether a child is old enough and allowed by law to ride the vehicle. E-motos have more power than ordinary electric bikes, and unsafe riding can lead to devastating harm. In Orange County, prosecutors are using criminal charges to make clear that they view adult supervision as part of the response to the danger.