Legal Trends
Priscilla's Law and the NYC E-Bike Reckoning
E-bike collisions in NYC rose 11% in the first half of 2025. Priscilla's Law would require registration and plates for every e-bike and e-scooter.
Key Finding
Priscilla's Law would require every e-bike and e-scooter in NYC to carry a license plate and DMV registration. Named for Priscilla Loke, who was killed in Chinatown in 2023 by an electric Citi Bike rider, the bill is sponsored by Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. in the Senate and Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar in the Assembly, with a parallel City Council version from Council Member Bob Holden. E-bike collisions rose 11% in the first half of 2025. E-bike rider deaths in NYC climbed from 11 in 2020 to 23 in 2023, per the NYC Comptroller. The liability problem the bill tries to fix is identification: when an unplated e-bike hits a pedestrian and rides off, there is often no way to find the rider.
On September 5, 2023, Priscilla Loke was standing just off the curb at Grand and Chrystie streets in Chinatown when an electric Citi Bike struck her. She was 69 years old. She died two days later at Bellevue.
Police identified the rider, who got a summons for running the red light. For her family, a single red-light ticket did not answer for her death.
Two and a half years later, her name is on a bill in Albany. Priscilla’s Law (S2599A in the Senate, A339A in the Assembly) would require every e-bike and e-scooter operated in a city of one million or more to carry a license plate and a DMV registration.
Loke’s rider was caught. Many are not. The question the bill tries to answer is a specific one: when an unplated e-bike hits a pedestrian and rides off, how does the injured person find out who hit them?
Note
Update, July 2026: our new NYC e-bike injury ledger counts 1,547 pedestrians injured and 16 killed in e-bike-involved crashes since 2019, the fullest accounting yet of the harm this bill responds to.
The Crash Data
E-bikes were not a significant presence on NYC streets a decade ago. They are now. Delivery platforms, bike-share programs, and private ownership have produced an e-bike fleet in the tens of thousands.
| Metric | Data | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pedestrian injuries from e-bikes/e-scooters, 2022 | 329 | NYC Comptroller |
| Pedestrian injuries from e-bikes/e-scooters, 2023 | 328 | NYC Comptroller |
| E-bike rider deaths in NYC, 2020 to 2023 | 11 to 23 | NYC Comptroller |
| E-bike collision increase, H1 2024 vs H1 2025 | +11% (290 to 323) | NYPD data |
| Moped deaths, July 2024 vs July 2025 | 2 to 4 | NYPD data |
| Motorized two-wheeler deaths, Jan-Sept 2025 | 51 | NYPD data |
329
Pedestrians injured by e-bikes and e-scooters in NYC in 2022, up from 24 in 2020. E-bike collision reports then rose 11% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
NYC Comptroller, Street Safety in the Era of Micromobility (2024)
The pattern is consistent: fatalities among e-bike riders themselves have declined slightly (from 9 in 2024 to 6 in the first half of 2025), while injuries to pedestrians and other road users struck by e-bikes have risen.
This is the gap Priscilla’s Law targets. The riders who are the danger are not the same people as the riders who are getting killed. The regulatory framework has not caught up to that distinction.
What the Bill Does
The Senate and Assembly versions of Priscilla’s Law are substantively similar.
Registration
Every electric-assist bicycle and every electric scooter operated in a city with a population of one million or more (in practice, NYC) must be registered with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration creates a legal record tying a specific vehicle to a specific owner.
License Plates
Each registered e-bike and e-scooter must display a plate visible from the rear. The plate lets police, witnesses, and surveillance cameras identify a rider involved in a crash or a traffic violation.
Enforcement Authority
Law enforcement is empowered to issue fines for unregistered or unplated e-bikes and to impound non-compliant vehicles.
What the Bill Leaves Out
S2599A and A339A stop at registration and plates. Neither bill mandates liability insurance. Insurance is the provision that draws the most pushback in the broader policy debate, because delivery workers’ advocacy groups argue insurance costs would fall hardest on low-income riders, but the current text of Priscilla’s Law does not impose it.
The NYC Council version, Intro 606, is narrower still. It focuses on plates and registration administered at the city level.
What Is Already in Effect
Priscilla’s Law is not the first e-bike regulation New York has enacted. It is the most comprehensive.
Note
What is already law. VTL § 605 (effective July 11, 2025) requires police to investigate and report certain e-bike crashes to the DMV. Riders involved in crashes causing death or serious physical injury must self-report within 10 days. Class 3 e-bikes (up to 25 mph) are legal only in cities with populations over one million.
Riders must be at least 16 years old. Sidewalk riding is prohibited anywhere in NYC. Since October 24, 2025, NYC caps every e-bike at 15 mph citywide, regardless of class rating.
What the existing laws leave open. They require reporting after a crash, but they do not create the infrastructure to identify a rider who flees the scene.
The Delivery App Problem
A large share of NYC e-bike traffic is commercial. DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Relay, and other platforms employ, contract, or otherwise rely on tens of thousands of delivery workers who use e-bikes to meet delivery windows.
NYC passed a minimum pay standard for delivery workers in 2023 that effectively raised their hourly rate. That change, combined with the timing pressures built into platform algorithms, created financial incentives to ride fast and take risks. Studies of delivery app work have documented speed as a driver of income.
The liability question when a delivery worker strikes a pedestrian depends on how the platform has classified the worker. DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub treat their delivery workers as independent contractors, which limits the platform’s direct liability in most cases. Relay uses a W-2 employment model, which opens up respondeat superior claims against the company.
Priscilla’s Law does not change the underlying employment classification. But by requiring plates and registration, it makes the identification step easier, which is the first obstacle in any pedestrian injury case involving a delivery e-bike.
The Liability Gap
The current NYC situation creates a three-way gap for injured pedestrians.
First: Identification
Without plates, a fleeing rider cannot be traced from surveillance footage alone. A partial vehicle description (red e-bike, male rider, dark jacket) rarely produces a suspect.
Second: Insurance
Private auto insurance does not automatically cover e-bike liability. Homeowners and renters policies sometimes do, sometimes with exclusions. Commercial e-bikes operated for delivery typically require separate commercial policies that many individual owners do not carry.
Third: Collectability
Even when an e-bike rider is identified, personal assets may not cover the damages in a serious injury case. Medical bills for a pedestrian with a traumatic brain injury or a fractured spine can exceed $500,000 in the first year alone. A rider working for $18 an hour is not a practical source of recovery.
Each of these gaps reduces the likelihood that an injured pedestrian actually recovers compensation, even when the liability story is clear.
What Priscilla’s Law Does Not Solve
The bill addresses identification. It does not address the underlying crash rate.
Protected bike lanes, sidewalk enforcement, e-bike speed limiters, and battery safety regulation (a separate issue, given the lithium-ion battery fires that have killed dozens of New Yorkers) all matter for actual street safety.
The NYC Comptroller’s 2024 report, “Street Safety in the Era of Micromobility,” lays out a multi-layered policy framework that includes education, infrastructure, enforcement, and regulation of the platforms that contract with delivery riders.
Registration alone will not reduce collisions. What it does is create the legal infrastructure to hold riders accountable after a collision occurs. The NYC Comptroller’s 2024 micromobility report lays out a multi-layered policy framework that includes education, infrastructure, enforcement, and regulation of platforms that contract with delivery riders.
Where the Bill Stands
As of April 2026, S2599A and A339A are in committee. Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar is the lead sponsor in the Assembly. Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. carries the Senate version, with Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal as co-sponsor.
At the city level, Council Member Bob Holden’s Intro 606 has been the subject of committee hearings but has not advanced to a floor vote.
The political coalition around the bill is unusual. Pedestrian safety advocates, elderly voters, and some business groups support it. Delivery workers’ advocacy organizations (particularly Los Deliveristas Unidos) resist any move to add insurance or registration costs, arguing they would fall hardest on low-income riders.
Transportation Alternatives has taken a mixed position, supporting identification requirements while raising concerns about enforcement impacts on lower-income riders.
What happens next depends on whether the bill sponsors can hold the registration-and-plate framework without layering on costs that workers cannot absorb.
What This Means If You’re Hit by an E-Bike
The legal path forward when an e-bike strikes a pedestrian in NYC depends on what information is available at the scene.
If the rider stops and provides ID. The standard personal injury case proceeds. Claims can be pursued against the rider directly, against any delivery platform that employed the rider, and against any available insurance policy.
If the rider is working for a delivery app. The platform’s insurance coverage (where it exists) can be a source of recovery. Documentation of the delivery app account, the order the rider was fulfilling, and the rider’s employment classification becomes central to the case.
If the rider flees unidentified. The options narrow substantially. Surveillance footage from nearby businesses, witness statements, and, in rare cases, NYPD investigation can produce an ID. Medical bills and some lost wages are still covered through no-fault insurance if the pedestrian has auto coverage in the household. Pain and suffering recovery requires an identifiable defendant.
Note
Personal injury claims have a three-year statute of limitations under CPLR § 214(5). Wrongful death claims must be filed within two years under EPTL § 5-4.1. If a city vehicle was involved, a Notice of Claim under General Municipal Law § 50-e is required within 90 days.
Priscilla’s Law, if enacted, would make the fled-rider scenario rarer. That is the point.
Sources
- New York State Senate. S2599A (Priscilla's Law). https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S2599/amendment/A
- New York State Assembly. A339A. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A339/amendment/A
- Streetsblog NYC. Intro 606, the NYC Council e-bike registration bill that became Priscilla's Law. https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2024/12/11/intro-606-alert-e-bike-licensing-bill-is-not-even-legal-lawyers-say
- NYC Comptroller. Street Safety in the Era of Micromobility. https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/street-safety-in-the-era-of-micromobility/
- CBS New York. NYC lawmakers discuss proposed e-bike, e-scooter regulations. https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/new-york-city-e-bike-e-scooter-regulations-priscillas-law/
- amNewYork. Priscilla's Law Seeks Tougher E-Bike, Scooter Regulations. https://www.amny.com/news/priscillas-law-illegal-e-vehicles-in-nyc/
- amNewYork. NYC moped deaths spike 100%, e-bike collisions continue upward trend. https://www.amny.com/nyc-transit/moped-deaths-e-bike-collisions-nypd-july-2025/
- Crowell Moring LLP. Powering Through the Rules: A Guide to E-Bike and E-Scooter Regulation in New York. https://www.crowell.com/en/insights/client-alerts/powering-through-the-rules-a-guide-to-e-bike-and-e-scooter-regulation-in-new-york
Updated July 2, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- What is Priscilla's Law?
Priscilla's Law is proposed New York legislation (S2599A in the Senate, A339A in the Assembly) that would require every electric bicycle and electric scooter operated in a city of one million or more population to be registered with the DMV and display a license plate. The law is named for Priscilla Loke, who was killed in September 2023 when an electric Citi Bike struck her in Chinatown. A parallel NYC Council version, Intro 606, is sponsored by Council Member Bob Holden.
- How many people are injured by e-bikes in NYC?
Pedestrian injuries from e-bikes and e-scooters in NYC jumped to 329 in 2022 and 328 in 2023, up from 24 in 2020, according to the NYC Comptroller's micromobility report. E-bike rider deaths climbed from 11 in 2020 to 23 in 2023. E-bike collision reports rose 11% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, from 290 to 323 incidents. Moped fatalities spiked in July 2025, doubling from two the prior July to four, though moped deaths were down for the year overall.
- Can I sue an e-bike rider who hit me in NYC?
Yes, but the practical problem is often identification. Unlike cars, e-bikes currently carry no license plate, no mandatory registration, and no mandatory insurance in New York. If the rider stops and provides ID, a personal injury claim proceeds against the rider directly. If the rider is working for a delivery app such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, or Relay, there may be additional claims against the platform depending on the employment classification. If the rider flees unidentified, the options narrow. Injured pedestrians may have recourse through their own uninsured motorist coverage in some circumstances, but e-bike-specific coverage gaps complicate that.
- What are the current e-bike rules in New York?
New York State recognizes three classes of e-bikes. Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are limited to 20 mph. Class 3 e-bikes, which are legal only in cities with populations of one million or more, are limited to 25 mph. Operators must be at least 16 years old. Riding on sidewalks is prohibited. Since July 11, 2025, police must investigate and report certain e-bike and e-scooter crashes to the DMV under NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law § 605. Operators involved in crashes causing death or serious physical injury must self-report to the DMV within 10 days.
- How fast can an e-bike legally go in New York?
Under New York's three-class e-bike framework codified at VTL § 102-c, Class 1 (pedal-assist) and Class 2 (throttle-assist) e-bikes are capped at 20 mph, and Class 3 e-bikes (pedal-assist) are capped at 25 mph. Class 3 operation is only legal in cities with populations of one million or more, which in practice means New York City. Operators must be at least 16. A device that exceeds these speeds, or one modified to do so, can be reclassified as a moped or motorcycle, which triggers registration, license, and insurance obligations the rider may not have.
- Is it illegal to ride an e-bike in New York?
No, e-bikes are legal in New York, but the rules depend on class and location. Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes are permitted under VTL § 102-c, with Class 3 (up to 25 mph) restricted to cities of one million or more. Riders must be at least 16. Sidewalk riding is prohibited everywhere in NYC. Since July 11, 2025, VTL § 605 requires police to investigate and report certain e-bike and e-scooter crashes to the DMV, and operators in crashes causing death or serious physical injury must self-report within 10 days. Devices that exceed e-bike specs can be reclassified as mopeds or motorcycles, which adds DMV registration, license, and insurance obligations.
- Can you ride an electric scooter on the sidewalk in NYC?
No. Sidewalk riding by e-bikes and e-scooters is prohibited everywhere in NYC, with limited exceptions for children under specific conditions. A violation can support a negligence per se argument when a pedestrian is injured. NYPD data shows e-bike collisions in NYC rose 11% in the first half of 2025 over the same period in 2024, and pedestrian injuries from motorized two-wheelers have been a leading driver of Priscilla's Law, which would require plates and registration.
- Can you get a DWI on an electric scooter in New York?
It depends on how the device is classified. New York's DWI statute, VTL § 1192, applies to operation of a motor vehicle, and VTL § 125 defines what qualifies as a motor vehicle. Higher-powered e-scooters and devices that exceed the e-bike specs in VTL § 102-c can fall within the motor-vehicle definition, exposing the rider to a DWI charge on public roadways. Bicycles, including legally compliant Class 1 and 2 e-bikes, are generally not motor vehicles for DWI purposes, though other offenses can still apply. Because the classification is fact-specific and evolving, anyone facing this issue, or anyone injured by an impaired rider, should consult an attorney.
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Antin, J. S. (2026, April 14). Priscilla's Law and the NYC E-Bike Reckoning. AEE Law Insights. https://aeelaw.com/insights/priscillas-law-nyc-ebike-regulation/
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