These days, when I see the policies being implemented in California, I sometimes think I would like to see the face of the person who comes up with such ideas.

As a parent myself, I understand that the issue of electric bikes is serious.

Especially when I see middle and high school students riding without helmets on sidewalks or speeding on the road almost like motorcycles, it looks dangerous.

From a parent's perspective, there are times when I think that even someone else's child could get into serious trouble like that.

So.......

I completely understand the intention to reduce accidents involving youth on electric bikes.

However, the solution seems to be offering a $1,000 gift card for bringing in an electric bike.

Not only electric bikes but also electric scooters and even stolen bicycles are being accepted without proper verification of ownership before money is given.

This is where I start to lose my understanding.

Is the problem the electric bike itself, or is it the person riding it dangerously?

Moreover, if they are willing to compensate for bikes that have been sitting unused at home, or even broken ones, I don't see how this relates to preventing accidents.

I have an electric bike that has been gathering dust in my garage for years, and if I could get a few hundred dollars in gift cards for it, I would load it up and take it in.

Isn't that just common sense?

But that bike was never going to be on the road anyway.

In the end, it means spending a few hundred dollars of tax money to clear out a piece of junk from my garage.

I really don't understand how this is a policy to reduce youth traffic accidents.

From a parent's standpoint, the necessary actions are quite clear.

We need to crack down on the kids riding dangerously, impose age restrictions on electric bikes that exceed 25 miles per hour, strengthen helmet regulations, and catch those who modify their bikes to ride them like motorcycles.

If necessary, schools should provide safety education and hold parents accountable as well.

As a parent myself, I know that just telling kids not to ride because it's dangerous doesn't mean they will listen.

Once they start hanging out with friends, they become bolder. So, parental education, school education, and enforcement need to go hand in hand.

Of course, Orange County is not completely neglecting enforcement or education. They are also promoting safety education and related legal reforms.

So, we shouldn't criticize the entire policy based solely on the buy back program.

Still, I can't help but raise an eyebrow at the idea of using tax money to buy perfectly good electric bikes.

Interestingly, California had previously offered up to $2,000 in incentives for low-income individuals to purchase electric bikes.

They were giving money to encourage people to ride eco-friendly electric bikes instead of cars, and now another government agency is saying electric bikes are dangerous and offering money to take them away.

Of course, the agencies behind the two policies are different, and their purposes are different as well.

One is an eco-friendly transportation policy, while the other is a youth safety policy, so they can't be considered the same.

However, from the perspective of an ordinary taxpayer, it is quite perplexing.

We pay money to buy them, and we pay money to get rid of them.

Ultimately, where does that money come from? It comes from our taxes.

I'm not saying we should get rid of electric bikes or that kids shouldn't ride them. I know how much fun it is to ride a bike at that age.

However, if we want to reduce accidents, we need to address the root causes of those accidents accurately.

We need to enforce rules against dangerous riding behavior, apply motorcycle-equivalent regulations to excessively fast products, and hold both kids and parents accountable for safety first.

Not just giving out gift cards for bringing in broken electric bikes that have been sitting in garages.

Not every policy that starts with good intentions is a good policy.

Especially policies that use tax money are even more so.

Rather than the number of people who showed up at the event and the number of electric bikes collected, we need to show how much youth accidents have actually decreased a year later.

As a parent, that's what I'm really curious about.

If we spend this money, will our kids really be safer on the streets?