France implements harsh new law that makes it illegal to hot rod e-bikes to make them go faster, punishable by up to a year in prison, a $34,000 fine, and a three year license suspension
- A new law in France makes it a crime to hot-rod e-bikes to make them go faster
- The legal limit for e-bikes is 15mph, anything faster is considered a moped
- The law applies to e-bike owners, dealers, importers, and distributors
- People caught violating the law face up to a year in prison and a $34,000 fine
The French government has rewritten a part of its law to crack down on electric bike modifications, which it says pose a risk to public safety and increase the likelihood of accidents.
A new amendment, L317-1, makes it a crime to modify or hot rod e-bikes, something that applies to owners, importers, distributors, and dealers.
People who violate the new law can be fined up to $34,000 (30,000 Euros) and face up to a year in prison.
The French government has changed the law to make it illegal to make any alteration to electric bicycles that allow them to travel above 15mph
In France, e-bikes are generally considered any bicycle with an electric motor that’s capable of speeds up to 15mph (25kmh), according to a report from Electrek.
Any bicycle that travels faster is legally classified as a moped, sometimes called ‘speed pedelecs,’ which are bound by a different set of traffic laws and allowed to travel at speeds of up to 28mph (45kmh).
Violation of the law could also lead to the e-bike being immobilized until its owner can prove it’s been brought back to code.
It could result in the person’s driver’s license being revoked for up to three years.
While e-bikes have become popular in the last few years, they’ve also prompted concerns about public safety.
In 2018, a 56-year-old woman, Sakine Cihan, died from head trauma after she was hit by an e-bike that was traveling at 30mph.
The man’s bike was later found to have been illegally modified to be able to reach such high speeds.
People caught with e-bikes that can travel faster than 15mph in France face up to a year in prison, a fine of up to $34,000, and a three year suspension of their driver’s license
The man who hit Cihan, 32-year-old bricklayer Thomas Hanlon, was cleared of charges related to the accident earlier this month, largely due to the fact that the woman had walked nine feet into the crosswalk against a red light.
The woman’s sister, Sehriban Tezerdi, urged the government to ban e-bikes in the aftermath.
‘Something urgently needs to be done before anyone else dies,’ she said.
‘In court they said she stepped out in front of the bike and that she walked straight into it. I’m acertain it’s because these electric bikes are silent – they are silent killers – and there was no sound to alert her to its fast approach.’
‘They need to be banned… I know it was an accident but there will be many more if something isn’t done now.’