More than 2,700 San Dieguito Union High School District middle schoolers completed mandatory bike safety training on Friday, Aug. 21, the first day of the school year. Under a new district policy, students cannot bring bikes or e-bikes to campus until they finish the program and their parents request a bike tag.
"We want kids to be able to get to school in a safe manner, and we want them to get home in a safe manner, whether they walk, ride a bike, ride an e-bike or ride in a car," Bryan Marcus, the district's associate superintendent of educational services, told KPBS.
Staff from the San Diego County Bike Coalition led the sessions at district middle schools, including Oak Crest and Diegueno in Encinitas. Kevin Baross, the coalition's education manager, ran a preview presentation at Oak Crest on Monday, Aug. 17, before the districtwide rollout.
The lessons cover helmet use, traffic rules and staying visible to drivers. Baross told KPBS that e-bikes are getting cheaper, lighter and more accessible, and that teaching students to ride predictably and communicate their intentions keeps everyone safer.
E-bike collisions rising in Encinitas
The training arrives as Encinitas grapples with a surge in e-bike incidents. The San Diego County Sheriff's Office recorded 59 e-bike collisions in the Encinitas area between 2022 and 2024, and 30 more in 2025 alone, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
A 15-year-old e-bike rider was killed at Santa Fe Drive and El Camino Real in June 2023, prompting the City Council to declare a state of emergency on bike safety.
At a council meeting Wednesday, Aug. 19, Mayor Bruce Ehlers cited crowds of Diegueno Middle School students cutting through Sun Vista Park on e-bikes after school, speeding along a pathway near the dog-play area. The council directed staff to explore new restrictions on e-bike use in parks and on trails.
Unlike Carlsbad, which bans riders under 12 from e-bikes, Encinitas allows children of any age to ride them. Current city code does let the Sheriff's Office temporarily seize e-bikes for reckless riding, according to the Union-Tribune. The under-12 ban comparison was reported by inewsource.
A UC San Diego study published in July found that e-bike injuries among riders 14 or younger are the highest of any age group statewide, according to the Los Angeles Times. A separate city staff report cited a 300% increase in e-bike injuries among those under 18 in San Diego County between 2019 and 2023.
What parents need to know
The policy applies districtwide. After completing the training, parents must fill out a form to request a bike tag; only students with a tag can bring bikes onto campus.
The San Diego County Bike Coalition offers three-hour safe-cycling classes. Its next Encinitas session was scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 22, at 1 p.m.; details are available on the coalition's website.
SDUHSD's draft facilities master plan, presented at the board's Aug. 6 meeting, also includes expanding pedestrian and e-bike pathways as a districtwide project.
