> but aren't nearly as dangerous as motorcycles.

What a ridiculous statement.

I don't think there's any inherrent difference, but until the laws catch up the "powerful e-bikes" are clearly more dangerous. Riding a traditional motorcycle requires a license, passing a driving test, and following the rules of the road - none of which are true for e-bikes.

But I'd love to hear why you think the opposite.

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lelandbatey 3 days ago | parent [-]

An ebike weighs less than a motorcycle by at least half (for super lightweight motorcycles) or less than 1/6th the weight. So a fast ebike is about as dangerous as merely the human person +100lbs traveling at speed.

Thus, less energy to transmit to a pedestrian

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jlarocco 3 days ago | parent | next [-]

100 pounds of bike plus 150 pounds of person hitting a pedestrian at 30+ mph is still going to do cause serious injuries to both of them.

But it's really a moot point because there are essentially zero motorocycles travelling on sidewalks, bikepaths, and trails where pedestrians are going to be concentrated, while it's a free for all for e-bikes.

In general, motorcycle/pedestrian accidents are pretty rare. Statistically, motorcyclists are most likely to injure or kill themselves rather than bystanders.

	▲	SR2Z 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Yeah, it's not going to be as bad as a 300lb bike and 150lb person with a fuel tank in the back... There are lots of gas powered motorcycles in the bike lanes where I live. Not legal, but nobody enforces it.

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earleybird 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

And still fatal

https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/pedestrian-dead-aft...

In this case it was a bicycle and not an ebike. That said, anecdotally, many ebikes I see regularly travel faster than the people powered versions