According to foreign media reports, after several fatal accidents involving high - speed electric bicycles in California, Amazon has agreed to stop selling high - speed electric bicycles (with a speed of more than 40 mph) in the state that exceed the legal speed limit. This decision follows the consumer warning issued by California Attorney General Rob Bonta last month, marking a comprehensive upgrade of California's supervision over high - speed electric vehicles.

Todd Spitzer, the district attorney of Orange County, revealed that Amazon has adjusted its platform sales policy, started to remove some electric bicycle products with a speed of more than 40 mph, and begun to investigate the compliance of other similar products on the platform. According to California's current law, the maximum speed of pedal - assist electric bicycles (Class 3) shall not exceed 28 mph, and for those with throttle control (Class 2), the upper limit is 20 mph. Vehicles exceeding this standard will no longer be regarded as "electric bicycles" but should be classified as mopeds or motorcycles, and stricter regulations such as driver's licenses, age limits, and vehicle registration need to be complied with.

In recent years, the number of high - speed electric bicycles and electric motorcycles in California has increased dramatically, and related accidents occur frequently. Last month, a mother in Aliso Viejo, Orange County, was additionally charged with negligent homicide because her teenage son riding an electric motorcycle killed an 81 - year - old man. In another case, a 13 - year - old boy in Garden Grove had a car accident while riding an illegal electric motorcycle and died on the spot. Data shows that in Southern California, the number of personal injury incidents involving electric bicycles has skyrocketed by 430% within four years.

Bicycle safety advocates point out that many so - called "electric bicycles" sold online are actually motorcycles or off - road dirt bikes, which are just sold as electric bicycles after adding pedals, which is highly misleading to consumers. Amazon's stop - sale action not only involves its own products but also requires third - party sellers to ensure that their listings comply with California regulations. Leaders in Los Angeles are also promoting the restriction of electric bicycles from entering most urban recreational trails to ensure pedestrian safety. The industry believes that Amazon's compliance actions will prompt other e - commerce platforms to follow up and promote the overall standardized development of the industry.