STATEMENT on the tragic death of ed ashman
Paved in Blood: Death of 81-Year-Old Veteran Prompts #1 Bestselling Author AND FOUNDER OF THE BELLEMONT PROJECT to Call for End to Reactive E-Bike Safety Policies
As the nation mourns the death of 81-year-old Ed Ashman, a Vietnam veteran and beloved teacher fatally struck, allegedly, by a 14-year-old on an illegal e-moto, a core resource from the Bellemont Project has moved to the center of the crisis. The Caring Parent’s E-Bike Survival Guide, Second Edition, authored by interdisciplinary safety professional Beth Black, secured Amazon’s #1 Ranking in Consumer Guides, Parenting Reference, and Education Reference as communities scramble for solutions.
The death of Mr. Ashman in Lake Forest, CA, has laid bare a grim reality: across the country, the path to safety is being paved in blood. While state and local governments have followed historical precedent, waiting for high body counts before implementing strategic policy, infrastructure or informed enforcement changes, the rise of high-speed, unregulated e-motos (electric dirt bikes or other non-compliant electric motorcycles) marketed to minors has created a crisis that municipal speed limits alone cannot solve.
“We have to stop waiting for a tragedy to justify a strategy,” says Beth Black, founder of the Bellemont Project. “Enforcement alone is not a solution; it is a symptom of a failed reactive policy. Families are being handed loaded weapons disguised as e-bikes, and yet our cities offer no professional behavior management to intervene before injuries and deaths occur. We don’t need more tickets after the fact; we need the Six-Point Plan, the Incline Program and the book for parents before the next collision.”
The Failure of Inaction
The current “Wild West” on American streets is defined by a lack of proactive intervention. The Bellemont Project points to two recent cases that underscore why purely punitive measures are failing:
A Professional Alternative: The Incline Program
Beth Black’s Incline Program serves as a critical diversion tool for law enforcement and school districts. It moves beyond the rules-of-the-road teaching model, using adolescent psychology and the “Mentor Mindset” presented by Dr. David Yeager to rewire how young riders perceive risk.
“This tragedy was preventable,” Black adds. “If these teens and their parents had been diverted into a program that addresses the psychology of how influencers are selling teens high-risk outlaw mentality, Ed Ashman might still be heading to a classroom today.”
Expert Endorsements on the Book
“In the realm of injury prevention, Beth Black’s work is revolutionary. It is a must-read for parents navigating the crossfire of teen behavior and misleading marketing,” says Gwen Froh, Program Director for Marin Safe Routes to Schools.
Paige Colburn-Hargis, an injury prevention professional and founder of MyGreyMatterz.org, adds: “As someone in the trauma field, I see the urgent need for this guide. It equips families with the tools to have conversations that actually resonate with teens — preventing injuries before they reach the ER.”
Take Action: Help Bring the Path to Safety to Your Community
We cannot wait for another tragedy to spark a conversation. If you are a parent, educator, or concerned resident, you have the power to help your local leaders move from reactive tickets to proactive solutions.
Are you ready to be the catalyst for change?
Contact the Bellemont Project today to learn how you can:
“Power wheelies can be fun — just not on city streets. Let’s move talented teens from the streets to the stadiums. We can provide them with safer spaces to train, perform, and compete . But the main rule for participating must be to have a clean street riding record.”
~ Beth Black
Don’t wait for the next tragedy. Work with us to build a safer path today.
solutions
The six-point plan will help
Up to now, civic leaders and legislators have struggled to discover the correct blend of actions they can take to better control the rising number of e-bike incidents, crashes, and injuries. There has been substantial focus on specific behaviors, such as power wheelies. Honolulu banned power wheelies within their city limits. Within days, a large e-bike/e-moto rideout was organized that took over the main road into town, slowing their much-needed transportation corridor. The riders were careful enough to stay away from the area where stunt riding was banned, but they made their point clear: You don’t have a clue what you’re trying to do.
The only real solution is a set of strategic initiatives, organized in a way that provides comprehensive management. While we need informed enforcement, it cannot be all about punishment. And while we need better infrastructure, the thinking behind such development cannot be more of the same.
BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
We can stop teens from being manipulated by manufacturers.
INNOVATION
It’s time to improve on limited initiatives of the past.
Coalitions
We can end the days of fragmented, ineffective efforts.
when unsafe speeds deliver injuries and death
For first responders
Paramedics and other first responders often bear the brunt of dealing with the aftermath of this growing trend. It’s time for our civic leaders to take effective action to reduce e-bike and e-moto crashes.
Your City’s Front Line Needs a Unified Strategy. Not Just More Talk.
First responders, emergency medical personnel, and injury prevention teams are bearing the cost of e-bike chaos, managing trauma, and dealing with ineffective enforcement. Assistance in reducing crashes is badly needed.
Beth Black’s virtual or onsite speaking engagements move beyond basic awareness to deliver actionable operational strategy and can include a Micro-Experience of the revolutionary Incline Program©, demonstrating how to equip your police, parents, and diversion staff with effective, nuanced behavior-management tools that lead to lasting compliance.
The Incline Program doesn’t start with rules; it starts with impact. Each teen and parent session begins with a heartfelt, authentic talk chosen from our Presenter Video Library, featuring voices like Captain Greg Barta of the Orange County Fire Authority. As both a Public Information Officer and a paramedic who has worked at countless e-bike crashes, Captain Barta offers a brief but thought-provoking look into the serious personal consequences that this trend has been forcing on first responders. The program continues with deep conversations and thought-provoking exercises.
Take control of e-bike safety in your community by asking your civic leaders to reach out to the Bellemont Project. Ask to be included in a no-cost Mini-Incline Program Experience. Community leaders can help, once they know how. The Bellemont Project can help them put together a comprehensive strategic plan that will finally control the chaos.
