Motorcycles and Children – A Safe Mix?

It’s hard for some to imagine life without a motorcycle. I’m one of them. It’s also hard for some to imagine a life without children. And again – I’m one of them. In fact, I’m one of those people who’ve always seen motorcycles in the driveways of families and I’ve always been impressed by the number of motorcycle riding tots I’ve waved to. Being a life-long fan of motorcycles, it just seemed so natural – so right – and yeah – kind of cool. But you know what? Everybody doesn’t see it that way.

All the child-aged motorcycle riders I’ve spoken to seemed simply delighted to sit atop such a powerful machine and a few of them have declared that it’s much more fun than riding on a roller coaster or some other crazy carnival ride. But some people say it’s too dangerous and at times, even I have to wonder about it. Accidents do happen. But then again, accidents don’t happen. I mean accidents don’t happen ALL the time the way that certain anti-riders want us to believe. So what is the motorcycle community to do? Live in fear? Subconsciously teach our kids that motorcycles aren’t safe to ride? I don’t think so. That would only make us look like hypocrites in the eyes of curious children.

Obviously, the smart thing to do is to not only protect children on motorcycles but to protect them well. There are plenty of manufacturers who make helmets for kids and there are probably just as many that make tot-sized bikes for four and five year olds! As long as the little ones are appropriately dressed with long sleeved shirts and pants, I see absolutely nothing wrong with taking children along for a ride and for one of the most freeing experiences in the world.

Any child who can ride a regular bicycle without training wheels should be old enough to ride a motorcycle with an adult – and the lower the motorcycle, the safer. Motorcycles that ride low to the ground, like a 50 for example aren’t that fast and they’re easier for a child to get on and off of.

Of course, like I said earlier, accidents do happen. I’ve seen more than a few young teens lose control and crash their motorcycles – probably due to panic and giving their bikes the gas instead of the brakes. So it’s probably safe to say that no child under the age of 18 should be able to ride a motorcycle without proper safety equipment and parental supervision. I’m not talking about children riding motorcycles on the street – it’s illegal for children to ride a motorcycle on the street anyway. I’m talking about anywhere — even on dirt or motorcycle trails.

Even in places that are set up for children and motorcycle fun, safe equipment and parental supervision is a must because like I said, I’ve seen kids make some pretty silly (and potentially life threatening) mistakes. They need bikes that are designed for rough motorcycle trails and they need helmets that fully cover their faces. One of the most common accidents that young kids have on motorcycles is bumping their chin or mouth on the bike’s handlebars.

When kids ride a motorcycle with an adult, law dictates that the adult must be licensed to operate a motorcycle. Period. And even though kids may ride with an law-abiding, responsible, and experienced adult, they should always wear a fitting helmet and ride in the back no matter how long or short the ride is – but especially on the highway. I’m not one to dictate what someone else should do — I can only give my two cents. But I couldn’t take a young child across a long highway. I’m just not comfortable with that mostly because I know how risky it is for adults alone.

I’ve also seen some dangerous motorcycle situations created from kids riding with other kids. Aside from the extra weight that and additional person adds onto a motorcycle, nothing makes a kid want to showoff more than when another child is around and showing off is a common predecessor to accidents.

Operating and riding a motorcycle is fun. But it can be dangerous too – especially for children. As adults, we have a unique responsibility. On one hand we need to keep children safe around motorcycles, yet on the other hand we need to keep the riding experience one that children will grow to love, learn from, and respect at the same time. We want to build good motorcycle memories for our children and I believe these things can be achieved with responsible behavior, lots of experience, and loving care.

What do you think?

Post by Japanese-Motorcycles-Only.com

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