CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – Back-to-school season means more students on the roads — on foot, on bicycles and on e-bikes — and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office wants families to be prepared before the first bell rings.
Sheriff Michelle Cook is urging parents to sit down with their children before the start of the school year to talk about road safety, particularly when it comes to e-bikes.
“E-bikes are motorized, (so) treat it like a motorized vehicle. If you wouldn’t put your kid behind the wheel of a car, I’d have thought about giving them an e-bike,” Cook said. “And I understand why some kids need the e-bike. They have a long walk to school, or maybe they’re working after school, and the transportation helps get them there quicker. But I don’t want to respond to any calls this year of a kid being injured or killed on an e-bike.”
Deputies will increase traffic enforcement around schools as part of the department’s broader push for student safety. Cook says an e-bike educational safety package will be rolled out once the school year begins.
Recent crashes fuel safety push
The urgency behind the campaign is real. In June, 14-year-old Carson Farias died following an e-bike crash in Clay County, raising safety concerns among residents and drivers.
In March, a 23-year-old woman was struck and killed by a vehicle while riding an e-bike.
Those tragedies reflect a growing national problem. E-bike and scooter accidents rose from roughly 100,000 in 2022 to more than 130,000 in 2024 — a 30% increase in just two years, according to Consumer Shield.
What parents, students need to know
Cook says e-bike riders should follow the same rules of the road as drivers of motor vehicles.
That message is especially important for younger riders who may not fully understand the risks.
Clay County’s first day of school is Tuesday, Aug. 11.
Clay County District Schools has put together a “Back 2 School” resource guide available at Home | Clay County District Schools.