Victoria Police has said it will consider a coroner’s recommendation to classify e-bikes as motorcycles, rather than bicycles.
In findings released on Friday, coroner Audrey Jamieson recommended that Victoria Police, the state’s Department of Transport and VicRoads consider a “radical” measure requiring all e-bikes to be registered following the death of a Melbourne cyclist.
Coroner Audrey Jamieson described Victroria’s regulations on e-bikes as “suboptimal”.Credit: Paul Rovere
The call follows her investigation into the death of 41-year-old Nitin Haldipur Prabhu, who died from a traumatic brain injury sustained in January last year.
Prabhu, a skilled cyclist and father from Balwyn, had purchased the new e-bike for his daily commute to work just days before his death.
Jamieson’s findings revealed that the bike Prabhu was riding – equipped with a 250-watt motor and a top speed of 32km/h – exceeded the legal limits for unregistered e-bikes in Victoria, where anything more powerful than 200 watts or capable of exceeding 25km/h must be classified as a motorbike.
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“As such, [Prabhu] ought to have been wearing additional safety clothing, including a motorcycle helmet which meets Australian requirements,” the coroner’s report said. “This would have provided greater protection from injury, including head injury, upon contact with the road surface.”
Prabhu fell from his bike in Mont Albert Road, Canterbury, during his ride home from work when he collided with another e-bike rider who was described by a witness as riding aggressively and attempting a high-speed overtake.
“According to a nearby motorist, [Prabhu] ‘got a bit of a fright’ and swerved left into the other rider, causing their wheels to collide,” the coroner’s report said.
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