Do you insist on your kids wearing seat belts?So why don’t they wear protective clothing on their motorbikes and scooters?Everyday I see more ‘learners ‘on motorbikes and scooters. With our hectic schedules we just haven’t got the time to ferry kids to and from school, sport, parties etc.
I believe it’s a difficult decision for most parents and you worry about the safety of these kids in the traffic. We do all we can to keep them safe – or do we?If dad’s a biker he probably wears at least a jacket and gloves when he goes riding. If not he’s just plain stupid!But we send our sons and daughters to school on scooters and motorbikes in gym slips and thin cotton shirts? Are we crazy? Have you seen the result of a 50km/h fall on a tar road?Enough research has been done on when and how accidents happen. The fact that the school is just around the corner and she doesn’t go fast holds no merit.ATGATT! ALL THE GEAR ALL THE TIME.
I run GS Adventures a Motorcycle Touring company. I’ve seen it all; full kit, leathers and the shorts and T shirt brigade! I’ve also seen the results of high speed accidents and slow stupid fall overs.So why am I writing this article? My son just turned 16. His mother and I both ride bikes, it’s my passion and business. I wear full kit- always.But wearing kit is just not ‘cool ‘.Kids will laugh at me! What do I do with it once at school?And this is the point. Why don’t our kids wear protective kit? Surely its not that we don’t care? It’s not the cost is it? How do you equate skin grafts on a 16 yr old girls legs to money?No it’s because it’s not cool! It looks silly! It’s a hassle!So for me it’s simple. Yes it’s convenient for me for my son to have a motorcycle, but it also offers him freedom, freedom to come and go as he likes, to attend sport practice until late afternoon, to go to parties that end later than I can stay awake!And with this freedom comes a responsibility to himself and to me. A responsibility to be as safe as he possibly can and to wear protective kit every time he rides his motorbike - no exceptions!
If we all insisted on our children wearing some sort of protection when riding then it would no longer be stupid and strange! A trend is anything the majority does! Parents lets start a trend, ATGATT!
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Be safe!Darrell
Why not get him to campaign at school for a few lockers big enough to store his gear? It can't cost much to put up a few lockers to keep his ATGATT safe during school hours, and approached properly I'm sure they will see the benefit both from a safety and a security perspective. I also don't understand why parents thik ATGATT rules should not apply to scooter riders. Skin comes off just the same whether you fall off a scooter or a bike.
ReplyDeleteDress for the fall, not for the ride.
If someone is tailgating you, either speed up to open more space or pull over and let them pass. In motorcycle vs. automobile accidents, the motorcycle almost always loses. womens motorcycle helmet
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