NAPLES, Fla. — Days after a tragic accident claimed the life of a 14-year-old boy riding his e-bike, community leaders and safety advocates are renewing calls to make local roads and sidewalks safer for bicyclists.
Clayton Miller was killed Saturday afternoon when he was struck by an SUV while riding his E-bike in North Naples. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Miller was heading east on Madison Drive, approaching a stop sign when he entered the intersection.
WATCH AS LEADERS CALL FOR MORE EDUCATION AND E-BIKE SAFETY MEASURES:
His death is now fueling a growing conversation around e-bike safety and the need for education and updated laws.
“There’s not bicycle and pedestrian safety happening in schools anymore,” said Michelle Avola-Brown, executive director of the Naples Pathways Coalition. “When I was a kid, we had that as part of our class," she added.
Avola-Brown, who has long advocated for improved safety measures, said schools need to play a bigger role in educating students—especially as high-speed e-bikes become more common.
“When you’ve got drivers who are quite often looking at their phones, not looking at the road, it’s just a recipe for disaster,” she said. “I’d love to see more education for every road user," Avola-Brown explained.
The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee voted this week to draft a letter to the Collier Metropolitan Planning Organziation recommending the school district reintroduce safety education for students.
At the same time, county leaders are considering changes to local e-bike laws. Collier County Commissioner Dan Kowal says he was already reviewing the current ordinance when the fatal crash happened.
“We’ve got kids operating these things at speeds up to 30 miles per hour,” Kowal said. “I fet it was probably time to take a deeper dive into the ordinance itself," he added.
Kowal tells Fox 4 a draft proposal is already on paper. But before any rule changes can be adopted, the ordinance would need to go through a public hearing.
“When we advertise this — hopefully at this next meeting — it’ll go out for public notice, and that’ll give the opportunity for the school folks, citizens, different law enforcement branches, and our citizen groups to give some input,” Kowal said. "But definitely education is going to be the first part of it. It has to happen," he said.
The next Collier County Commission meeting is scheduled for March 25.
