Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs simply signed into regulation Arizona Senate Invoice 1567, which prohibits anybody from working an off-road automobile (akin to a quad or motorbike) from doing so whereas consuming alcohol or possessing it in an open container. That appears smart sufficient, amiright? Nonetheless, the regulation has a second provision: that anybody working an off-road automobile should possess a driver’s license and have gone via a driver schooling course.
That requirement doesn’t sound too nanny-state, however Arizona’s definition of what constitutes an off-highway automobile (OHV) deviates from what we discover in most different states. Arizona stipulates, “An OHV is a motor vehicle that’s operated primarily off of highways and that’s designed, modified or purpose-built primarily for leisure nonhighway all-terrain journey. An OHV features a tracked or wheeled automobile, utility automobile, all-terrain automobile, motorbike, four-wheel drive automobile, dune buggy, sand rail, amphibious automobile, floor results or air cushion automobile and every other technique of land transportation deriving motive energy from a supply aside from muscle or wind.”
Whereas they didn’t particularly title eMTBs, they meet the definition. They’re purpose-built for leisure, nonhighway, all-terrain journey. That additionally consists of fat-tire e-bikes or every other e-bike you would possibly trip off-road, akin to a gravel e-bike.
There’s a wealthy irony to the concept that you would possibly want a driver’s license to trip an e-bike off-road. You don’t want a driver’s license to trip a motorbike on the highway. And also you definitely don’t want one to trip a motorbike the place no roads are current.
That driver’s license requirement has one other unintended (we hope) consequence: It means youngsters can’t trip e-bikes off-road, although they might nonetheless trip them on-road. That sounds loopy.
Communities across the nation are confronting the difficulty of what kind, the place and even whether or not youngsters must be allowed to trip e-bikes. Because of some high-profile accidents and even deaths of youngsters using e-bikes, cities are contemplating what kind of restrictions is perhaps necessary. However these debates all regard the usage of e-bikes on the highway.
There are at present 11 states that require e-bike riders to have a driver’s license, thereby limiting ridership to these 16 years outdated or older. Arizona was not amongst them. The place these states’ legal guidelines require a driver’s license to trip any e-bike in any respect, Arizona’s regulation has no impact on youngsters using e-bikes on the highway.
