Electric bikes are driving me crazy. Make them follow the same rules as cars. | Opinion

I had a "get off my lawn" moment not long ago, although I wasn't actually on my lawn at the time.

As I drove through my neighborhood at a speed somewhat close to the posted limit, three kids on electric bicycles pulled in front of me. None of them appeared to be more than 12, but there they were, holding their own with the cars on the road. Only moments before, I had seen them zipping along the narrow, winding sidewalk that parallels the street.

That sidewalk is narrow ‒ maybe wide enough for two people to walk shoulder to shoulder if they're friendly ‒ and it has many blind spots as it meanders around mailboxes, trees, privacy walls and other structures along the roadway.

Before the kids pulled in front of me, I was thinking about how much damage e-bike riders could do if they plowed into a pedestrian at one of those blind corners. Then, without warning, the bike riders weren't the pedestrians' problem any more. They were out there in two-way traffic, moving close to 25 or 30 mph.

As if to assert their rights to be there, the one directly in front of me popped a wheelie, so high that I thought I would have to scrape his fancy bike off my muffler if he leaned back another inch or two.

Of course, none of them wore helmets.

In Port St. Lucie, Florida, a few miles north of where I live, police issued more than 20 traffic citations and made three arrests over the weekend after a group of 50 e-bikers attempted a "street takeover," where riders race and perform dangerous stunts.

Suddenly, e-bikes are everywhere ... and mostly unregulated

When I first heard about bicycles assisted by electric motors, I couldn't see the point. Bicycles, to me, were a way to exercise, so putting a motor on one seemed to defeat the purpose.

As I've gotten older, and I hope a little wiser, I've come to realize not everybody sees the world exactly as I do. Many people see e-bikes, as well as e-scooters and hoverboards, as economical and eco-friendly ways to get around.

According to eBikes.org, about 15% of the U.S. population owns an e-bike. That percentage seems high, but there's no disputing that e-bikes have become popular throughout the country.

And why not? Cars are expensive. Gas is expensive. Particularly where I live, car insurance is expensive. It's easy to understand why people choose e-bikes, especially for shorter trips.

What is less easy to understand is why e-bikes and their electric-motored brethren aren't better regulated. Based on my research, there's a patchwork of regulations for e-bike use across the 50 states.

Some states allow e-bikes to operate on sidewalks and other areas typically reserved for pedestrians, while others do not. Some states have minimum operator ages or requirements for helmet use; some do not.

Some classify e-bikes as low-powered motorized vehicles, while others treat them basically the same as regular people-powered bicycles. Some set speed limits, while others don't. Most states don't require e-bike operators to be licensed, but a few do.

Let's call e-bikes and their ilk what they are: a disruptive technology.

For almost a century and a half, our rules of the road have focused mainly on cars and pedestrians, with a few allowances made for nonmotorized bicycles. Gas-powered and people-powered vehicles aren't our only options now. Horsepower can come from a variety of sources.

Like so many new technologies, e-bikes have made our lives more complicated. But complication shouldn't justify what seems to be a lack of any serious type of enforcement.

Let's keep e-bikes out of pedestrian areas

In my home state of Florida, helmets are a requirement for riders under age 16. E-bike riders, like regular bicyclists, also are supposed to follow traffic laws when they're operating on the road. That means proper signaling before turns and lane changes, and stopping at stop signs and red lights.

I can't recall ever seeing an e-cyclist stopped by police.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams imposed a 15 mph speed limit on e-bikes and scooters this summer, but enforcement of that regulation has been a problem. After all, e-bikes don't usually have speedometers, so it's hard for operators to know if they have exceeded the limit. Try using the "I didn't know how fast I was going" argument in your car, though, and see where that gets you.

While people-powered bicycles are capable of safely operating on sidewalks and other areas generally reserved for pedestrians, e-bikes and other motorized vehicles shouldn't be allowed in those places. Exceptions should be made for motorized wheelchairs and mobility scooters for those with legitimate medical needs, but not other types of motorized vehicles.

E-bikes ought to be on the roads, in bike lanes where they are available, following the same rules that car drivers must follow, and with tickets issued for those who don't comply.

Common courtesy isn't incentive enough for people to do the right thing. A few trips to traffic court might be.

Blake Fontenay is USA TODAY's commentary editor.