Haverhill police take new approach to e-bike safety by offering gift cards, free helmets
Over the last few months, police in Haverhill, Massachusetts, have seen a rise in incidents with e-bikes and e-scooters. Officer James Pearl says they deal with a crash once a week.
In June, two kids collided with a school bus, resulting in the death of a 12-year-old girl. In response, the police department has been doing patrols around the city to reward gift cards to riders wearing helmets, and to educate them on what they are doing right and wrong.
"A couple hundred dollars gets you a scooter that will do 20 mph uphill. It sure beats walking. I don't blame anyone for doing it," said Officer James Pearl with Haverhill's traffic division. "You got a 13-year-old kid who has a bike that does 28 miles an hour. Twenty-eight miles an hour into the side of a car, you're going to get hurt."
Officer Pearl says the school committee voted last week to ban e-bikes and scooters from school properties. He went into a class of kindergarten students and asked them who had an e-bike. He says 12 of them raised their hands.
"Why would a kindergartner need to go 18 mph on a scooter?" asked Officer Pearl.
WBZ-TV went on a ride-along with Officer Pearl as he stopped riders who were following some rules, but often breaking others. One child on a scooter didn't have a helmet. His family told them they didn't have the money to buy one. In addition to the gift cards, part of the program is providing free helmets. The boy was able to get fitted with a new helmet.
The man behind the merchandise is local pastor Mark Rivera of Riverside Church. He says the helmets are being donated by Walmart, and the gift cards are coming from Aroma Joe's and McDonald's.
"We just are tired of having to break bad news to parents," said Rivera.
AAA says crash data show the state saw 889 e-bike or scooter crashes from 2023 to 2025 with 90% resulting in injury. Officer Pearl says there have been 60 pedestrian crashes in Haverhill this year. This figure does include walkers.
"It aggravates me when I see people swerving in and out of traffic and kids double riding and all of that," said Hakim Nelson, a father who was stopped by Officer Pearl for not wearing a helmet.
Nelson was excited to get a free helmet and mentioned that both of his children have e-bikes, but he refuses to let them ride them without him.
"Everyone knows that this is coming, so try to be aware and respectful," said Nelson.
Officer Pearl also stopped 32-year-old King Chen. "If I am on my bike I know I'm stopping, but it's not only the e-bike people riding, but the vehicles too," said Chen. "When you see a crosswalk, you're supposed to stop."
"They come out here and think they are going around as pedestrians, where they are walking and everyone has to abide by them. That's not the case," said Officer Pearl. "These kids don't know the rules of the road and what they are supposed to be doing."
He says parents should teach their kids proper safety and etiquette on the road before they start riding at speeds as fast as cars. They should also be wearing a helmet.