Accidents involving e-bikes have dramatically increased in the past three years, and the Santa Barbara County Civil Grand Jury is calling for more enforcement from the Santa Barbara Police Department.
In a Grand Jury report released last month, the jury learned that on Oct. 16, 2024, Santa Barbara police reported that there had been 80 accidents involving e-bikes that year alone, 48 in which the e-bike rider was at fault.
In comparison, there were 73 e-bike-related accidents in 2023 and only 10 in 2022. However, the Grand Jury learned that the Police Department counts collisions only when there is damage to a vehicle or when someone goes to the hospital, according to the report…