As the popularity of electric bikes and scooters continue to grow across the country, the Sturgeon Bay Police Department is asking you to be safer on area roads and sidewalks with them. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, e-bikes have been the number one growth driver for the bicycle industry, accounting for 30 to 50 percent of all sales at shops in Milwaukee and Chicago. While some models provide a small assist for cyclists pedaling, others can help riders hit speeds more than 28 miles per hour. Sturgeon Bay Police Department Assistant Chief Dan Brinkman says their popularity rises, people need to become more educated about them, adding they have heard more about potential issues rather than seeing them. His advice? Riders need to understand that even if they are not cars, they still have to follow the rules of the road.

Brinkman says there are currently no laws on the book specific to e-bikes and e-scooters because the department currently classifies them in the same catergory as a standard bike and scooter. 

Last year, a Sturgeon Bay boy had to be taken to Door County Medical Center to be treated for severe injuries Tuesday afternoon after he was struck by an oncoming vehicle on his electric scooter.

You can find other tips and rules of the road for e-bikes and e-scooters below.