Court Decision Could Wreak Havoc With Rules on Electric Bikes

YERUSHALAYIM
Electric bike (Pixabay)

A decision by a Haifa court is set to cause a legal headache for tens of thousands of Israelis. According to the court, electric bikes are a form of motor vehicle that requires insurance – but there are no insurance companies currently selling policies to cover them, Yisrael Hayom reported.

According to the court decision, electric bikes fall within the category of “motorized vehicle,” requiring insurance – and failure to secure a policy will make an individual riding a bike who gets into an accident with a car, truck or bus ineligible for legal protections. The court said that its decision was likely to be a model for other cases of this type.

Attorney Nati Ron told the newspaper that the decision was a “very dramatic one that will affect hundreds of thousands of bike riders and pedestrians. The decision attests to the failure of the Transportation Ministry and the Knesset to make arrangements for insurance for these bicycles, despite the fact that the topic was brought up numerous times. There is no doubt that the High Court will take up this matter at some point, but until it is clarified – something that could take years – all electric bike riders are at risk, and any claims they make will be automatically dismissed,” Ron said.

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