July 13, 2004
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Pocket Bikes Start To Get In The Way
(Long Beach, CA) The other afternoon I'm travelling back from work, my stomach full and my mind fulfilled, when I see, at door handle level, coming the wrong way in my lane, a miniature motorcycle with a full grown man who should know better, risking life and limb on the highway. He wasn't even wearing a helmet, and if I didn't drive a convertible, but lets say, an SUV, then I probably wouldn't have seen him, and he wouldn't be alive today.
It is beginning to bother me more every day, when I see the ads for these "pocket bikes" in the Sports Department Stores in the newspaper, and littered throughout the internet. The pricing seems to be hovering around $500-$600 for a miniature motorcycle that runs on a lawn mower engine, and can kill a kid in less than the amount of time it takes to gun the cute little throttle. I'm afraid these "pocket bikes" as they are called, are going to get real, real popular, and then some kid will kill himself. (Actually how many kids will kill themselves before there's an outcry. Let's see. As a childless adult, I have no kids who could be killed on these things, but there are sure a lot of little tykes out there. Hope YOUR kid doesn't get himself killed. I understand the people who sell these things neglect to mention that they are ILLEGAL on the sidewalks and streets of most everywhere, because it wouldn't seem as "fun". Police have been "arresting" six year old "offenders". The guy I saw racing the wrong way beside my car at about 40mph was an ADULT. I wonder how long it takes before the collective consciousness and the media realizes this pocket bike craze is A BAD IDEA.
(BTW: Click on the "AD" above to see the full size version.)
Comments (8)
Insanity....:mad:
This is the first time I have heard about them!
:goodjob: Evening Mike....I see these all the time now days...never thought anyone would be careless enough to be in traffic on one :wha: Thanks for the sub Mike....and I normally just empty my head during the day...whatever has caught my attention....and I put it to words..Most people ..Like you ..I presume are seasoned writers....whatever the date of my subscription...this is when I started writing...it was to keep insanity away...lol...thanks again.......Dorothea
Thank you for your sympathy and your helpful comments towards what happened with Lindsey. I feel that even if she were dead that I would never know for sure.
***Katherine***
2 years later the very danger that you noted was basically averted by the enforcement of noise control! Of course there was the issue that only four cycled more pollution free motors were permitted (kept the prices high) but some electric child scooters are still being sold.
Razor's cheapest model is basically unchanged( with a chain drive instead of belt) for under $150 and children will be in accidents using the regular scooters due to their inattention and less mature use of any type of transportation.
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