E-bikes and e-scooters are changing the way young people get around. They can provide independence, make longer journeys more accessible and offer another option for travelling to school, work, sport or to see friends.
But their rapid growth has also brought new road safety challenges. Governments across Australia and New Zealand are responding with changing regulations around who can ride, where devices can be used and what constitutes a legal e-bike or e-scooter.
In Queensland, for example, new age and licensing requirements for e-bikes and personal mobility devices came into effect on 31 August 2026, following a broader package of e-mobility reforms. Other jurisdictions are also reviewing or changing their approaches.
The rules matter. But knowing the rules is only part of staying safe.
For young riders in particular, e-mobility introduces a new combination of speed, power, judgement and interaction with other road users. Understanding that combination is something riders, parents and schools can all help with.
The good news is that many of the skills young people need aren’t new. At Ryda, much of what we explore with students applies to e-bikes and e-scooters just as it does to cars: recognising hazards, managing speed, avoiding distraction, managing mind-state, understanding personal risk, anticipating the actions of others and making decisions that leave room for the unexpected are fundamental road-user skills.
Being a Ryda rider is about making good road safety decisions, whether you’re travelling on two wheels or four.
E-bikes and e-scooters do bring some specific considerations, particularly around the way they accelerate and handle, where they can legally be ridden and how riders interact with pedestrians and other road users. But they also provide another opportunity to help young people take the road safety knowledge they already have and apply it to the way they’re travelling right now.
Want to know what you can do to help? We’ve broken it down below:
What riders need to know | What parents and guardians need to know | What schools need to know | Check out the rules where you live
Adding power changes the riding task
A young person may have been riding a bicycle confidently for years. That experience is valuable, but it doesn’t necessarily prepare them for everything that changes when electric power is added.
An e-bike can accelerate more quickly and maintain speed with much less physical effort. It is also generally heavier than a conventional bicycle. NZ Transport Agency guidance specifically cautions riders about the burst of power that can occur when assistance engages and notes that, at intersections, drivers may not expect an e-bike rider to get moving so quickly.
That matters because speed affects the time and space available to recognise a hazard, make a decision and respond.
And the hazards themselves haven’t disappeared.
- A driveway is still an intersection with a vehicle that might emerge.
- A parked car door can still open.
- A pedestrian on a shared path can change direction unexpectedly.
- A driver turning across a rider’s path may not have seen them.
- A wet surface can still affect grip and control.
The difference is that electric assistance can bring a rider to those situations more quickly and with less effort than they may be accustomed to on a conventional bicycle.
That’s why safe e-mobility is about more than simply being able to balance, steer and operate the device. It requires hazard perception, speed management, attention and good decision-making.
What riders need to know
Ride to the environment, not just the speed limit
- A legal maximum speed is a limit, not a target. The appropriate speed depends on what’s happening around you. Pedestrians, driveways, intersections, school entrances, parked vehicles, poor visibility and wet surfaces are all reasons to slow down and give yourself more time to react.
Look ahead
- Don’t just watch the space immediately in front of you. Scan for driveways, turning vehicles, pedestrians, doors opening and other hazards that could develop.
Keep your attention on the ride
- Phones and other distractions take your attention away from the information you need to ride safely. Keep the phone away and stay connected to what’s happening on the road or path.
Be predictable and visible
- Help other road users see you and understand what you’re going to do. Use lights when needed, signal where appropriate and avoid sudden changes of direction.
Protect yourself
- Wear an approved, properly fitted helmet and keep brakes, tyres and lights in good working order.
And know the rules that apply where you ride. Requirements for e-bikes and e-scooters vary considerably between jurisdictions.
What parents and guardians need to know
Start with the device itself
One of the most important questions to ask before buying an e-bike or e-scooter is surprisingly simple:
Can this particular device legally be ridden where my child intends to use it?
Not every device marketed or sold as an e-bike or e-scooter is legal for use on public roads and paths. The definitions and technical requirements differ between jurisdictions, and devices that exceed permitted specifications may be treated very differently under road transport law. Official guidance in the various Australian states and territories and New Zealand all distinguishes between devices that meet the local definition and higher-powered or otherwise non-compliant devices.
So before purchasing, check the specifications against your local transport authority’s current requirements rather than assuming that because a device is available for sale, it can be ridden legally in public.
Be particularly cautious about devices promoted on their speed or power, or modifications that override the limits that make an e-bike or e-scooter compliant.
Readiness is about more than age
Meeting the legal age requirement, where one applies, doesn’t necessarily mean a young person is ready to ride independently.
- Can they control the device confidently at low and higher speeds?
- Can they stop quickly and safely?
- Do they scan driveways and intersections?
- Can they judge when they need to slow down?
- Do they understand how much space to leave around pedestrians?
- Will they make the same decisions when they’re riding with friends?
Those questions tell parents much more about readiness than simply asking whether their child knows how to ride.
Talk about the journey
- Talk about the route they plan to take, difficult intersections or busy areas along the way, where they can ride legally and what they should do if conditions change.
- And talk about the situations where judgement can be tested: riding with friends, carrying passengers, using a phone, taking an unsafe shortcut or travelling faster because the device is capable of it.
The aim isn’t to remove independence. It’s to build the skills that make independence safer.
Don’t forget the battery
E-bikes and e-scooters introduce another safety consideration that conventional bicycles don’t have: lithium-ion batteries.
Damaged, faulty or incorrectly used batteries can catch fire. Families should follow manufacturer charging instructions, use compatible chargers and batteries, check for signs of damage and follow local fire and electrical-safety guidance for charging and storage. NSW Fair Trading, for example, warns that e-mobility batteries can catch fire if they are faulty, damaged or used incorrectly and recommends purchasing products from reliable suppliers and checking for appropriate electrical safety markings.
What schools need to know
E-bikes and, where legal, e-scooters are increasingly part of the school travel environment. That creates challenges for schools, particularly when the devices students arrive on may differ significantly in power, design and legal status.
Schools don’t need to become technical experts on every model of e-bike or e-scooter. They can, however, play an important role in building a culture of safer travel.
Make e-mobility part of the road safety conversation, linking to Ryda learning where applicable
E-bikes and e-scooters provide a very contemporary opportunity to talk with students about:
- hazard perception
- speed and stopping
- distraction
- sharing space with pedestrians
- visibility
- peer influence
- decision-making
- responsibility for other road users.
These aren’t simply e-bike or e-scooter skills. They are road-user skills.
A young person riding an e-bike may not yet have a driver licence, but they are already making decisions about speed, gaps, intersections, other vehicles and vulnerable road users.
In that sense, learning to use e-mobility safely can form part of a much bigger road safety conversation.
Look at the school environment
Arrival and departure times already bring pedestrians, cyclists, cars and buses together in a relatively small space. E-bikes and e-scooters add another group travelling at different speeds.
Schools can consider where students enter and leave, how riders interact with pedestrians, where devices are stored and whether particular conflict points exist around gates, crossings and shared paths.
Keep families informed
Because regulations differ significantly between jurisdictions and continue to evolve, schools can help by directing families to official information rather than attempting to interpret every individual device.
Regular communication can also reinforce expectations around helmets, safe riding, device storage and behaviour on or immediately around school grounds.
Road safety isn’t just about driving
Young people are road users long before many of them become drivers. They walk, cycle, ride e-bikes and e-scooters, travel as passengers and make decisions every day about how they interact with traffic and other people.
That’s why conversations about road safety don’t need to wait until someone gets their learner licence.
If a young person has taken part in Ryda, parents and schools can help them connect what they’ve learned to the way they travel now. What does managing speed look like on an e-bike? Where might distraction become a problem on an e-scooter? What hazards should they be scanning for as they approach a driveway or intersection? How might peer influence affect the choices they make when they’re riding with friends?
The mode of transport might change, but many of the principles don’t.
Look ahead. Manage your speed. Leave yourself time and space. Expect that other people may make mistakes. Stay focused. And make decisions that give you somewhere to go when the unexpected happens.
E-bikes and e-scooters can offer young people independence, mobility and another way to get where they need to go. Alongside understanding the rules and the device itself, helping young people apply these broader road safety skills can make that independence safer.
Check out the rules where you live
E-bike and e-scooter laws vary between Australia and New Zealand and between Australian states and territories. They also change, so always check the current information provided by the relevant government authority.
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New Zealand
Information and links were checked against official government sources at the time of publication. E-bike and e-scooter laws and regulations are subject to change. Always check the relevant government or transport authority website for the most current requirements in your jurisdiction.
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