As the mother of two boys, I read your June editorial “E-bike crackdown welcome” with a strong sense of shared concern. You accurately highlighted scenarios that haunt local parents daily — riders losing control of their speed, collisions with vehicles, and the tragic potential for innocent motorists to be injured or deeply traumatized. These are not hypothetical fears; they are clear and present dangers on our local streets because age restrictions and vehicle-type laws are being largely ignored.

Pennsylvania law states riders must be at least 16 years old to operate these motorized bikes, yet our roads are flooded with underage children who don’t have the cognitive development, traffic skills or knowledge of road rules to navigate traffic safely, placing themselves and car drivers in harm’s way.

This lack of enforcement creates a frustrating parenting dilemma. My boys see their peers riding unlawfully without consequence, making it impossible to explain why they cannot do the same. This mixed message was driven home recently while bike shopping, when a local e-bike vendor openly stated — in front of my 12-year-old — that the age laws are not being enforced.

When our community’s children see rules ignored, the lessons we try to teach them about safety and responsibility are undermined. An unenforced law is worse than no law because it teaches kids that rules do not matter. We need our local elected leadership and the police to work together to enforce the laws we have before a tragic accident makes it too late.

Stephanie Varljen

Hollidaysburg