WA Government Expands E-Rideable Safety Inquiry After Fatal Dirt Bike Crash

The WA government will expand an inquiry into the safety of e-rideables to include electric dirt bikes, following the death of a 59-year-old woman in Perth. She died in Picnic Cove Park in Edgewater after a crash involving a high-powered electric motorcycle on Saturday. A 17-year-old boy has since appeared in court charged with manslaughter, driving without a license and using an unlicensed vehicle on a road in relation to the woman's death.

It comes as a state parliamentary committee probes the safety, regulation and penalties associated with electric powered personal mobility devices, known as e-rideables. In Western Australia, an e-rideable is defined as something that weighs 25 kilograms or less and has a speed limit of 25 kph on level ground. The bike involved in the crash would not be considered an e-rideable under that definition. But Road Safety Minister Reece Whitby said he would be asking the committee to expand its scope.

\"It was a dirt bike in appearance but was an e-bike. And so I think it is appropriate that committee of parliament also looks at suggestions that we can make these vehicles safer,\" he said. The move is an about-face for the government, which had previously refused to include electronic bikes in the review despite the state opposition warning last month there were \"real and present issues\" with the devices.

The review is also looking at the usage and policing of e-rideables in entertainment precincts and other highly used pedestrian areas. Ahead of any recommendations by the inquiry, the minister said he had his own ideas around how to limit the use of e-rideables in built-up areas.

The pedestrian's death in Edgewater was not the first involving a battery-powered vehicle this year. In June, 51-year-old Thanh Phan was the first pedestrian to die after being hit by an e-scooter in WA. In a plea to prevent further serious incidents, Mr Phan's family called for a review of the governance and safety regulations regarding hired e-scooters. The City of Perth subsequently suspended the hiring of e-scooters, in response to the tragedy.

WA Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas said including e-bikes into the parliamentary inquiry was crucial. \"There are too many fatalities and now too many incidents with these forms of transportation,\" he said. Mr Zempilas said safety had to be \"the top priority\".