Various Ohio lawmakers are looking to close what many see as a dangerous loophole in state law that makes it possible for a person to be charged with vehicular homicide if they kill someone while riding an e-bike. While this information is shocking, the discussion highlights a much bigger issue with how the state handles e-bikes.
On the Today in Ohio podcast, the hosts talked about whether lawmakers even understand what is being stated. How could they treat e-bikes like motor vehicles when tragedy strikes, but then refuse to regulate them like one in the first place?
This has led to various issues with prosecutors in Ohio when going over fatal car crashes with nontraditional vehicles, like e-bikes. For example, if you were in Ohio and fatally hit someone with a golf cart, the current vehicular homicide laws wouldn’t apply because they aren’t included in what the state considers a motor vehicle…