My next door neighbor, for one. Yeah, the kid is “mature for his age” and all but is giving him something like this the best idea? For one thing, it’s too big for him. Second, I, the cranky neighbor, had to tell him I never again wanted to see him on it without a helmet, though it would be better if he were wearing BMX-type elbow, knee, and shin pads. Third, while it’s legal for him to ride it on his family’s property, it ain’t legal for him to ride it any of the other places he rides it: streets, sidewalks, and the public parking strip.
As a sidenote about that eBay auction I linked, the bidding is up to $137.50 while the same lister has the same item for a Buy It Now price of $94.99 linked four times in that very listing! How dumb are the people driving the price above that?
I must be missing something. I had a scooter with a gas engine at that age (aka mini-bike), and in retrospect believe the decision to provide said mini-bike to young Culture was entirely reasonable. Of course, the child does need to be physically large enough to safely operate the vehicle (I am 6’8" and have always been very tall) and I agree about the helmet. Other than that, what is the problem?
You folks must live in the South. Northerners generally don’t buy motor-powered vehicles for children that young. Yeah, yeah…I’m painting with a broad brush, and no, I don’t have a cite. Just personal experience.
And I think it’s ill-advised to give a motorized vehicle to a 7-year- old. Or an 11-year-old.
Well, my dad got me an 80cc motorbike when I was 8. I figure that sucker would run rings around an electric scooter. Different times, I suppose, it didn’t seem so odd back then.
Very interesting that you’ve posted this. On Christmas Day I was driving down the road, and here comes a child on one of these things, full-on towards me. Someone forgot to tell this YOUNG one that there are rules on the road, such as, drive on the RIGHT side. (Here in America that is) I wanted to seriously get out of my car and just explode on him. Instead I honked and waved him to the side of the road.
I can’t believe 8 year olds can now have motor transportation.
Jenny*
I had a Honda MR 50 (50cc, two-stroke) when I was 7. Wore a helmet all the time (scuffed it up pretty badly too!). 'course, we had miles of woods with trails behind our house to ride it on. Dunno if my having it was good judgement or not, nothing bad happened (except I ripped my chin open on a stump in the first 20 seconds of learning how to ride it) I look at 7-year-olds now and I’m not sure I’d put one on the bike.
Mostly, it’s his size relative to the scooter, the lack of safety equipment and apparent lack of safety training, and the fact that he’s riding it on the street, which in Illinois requires that he be fully licenced, meaning 16 with Driver’s Ed or 18 without PLUS passing the test–we don’t even allow 15-yr-olds with learner’s permits to ride mopeds anymore.
Of course, there is the undercurrent of jealousy on my part–I’d’ve killed for a motor scooter when I was his age and am disappointed enough that I weigh too much to ride one that I’m considering going on The Big, Once And For All Diet.
Kids on motorized vehicles, I too see that as a problem. Kids just aren’t responsible enough (in general) to deal with the responsibility that comes with motorized vehicles. Not to mention that it is probably illegal as the OP pointed out.
Well, my in-laws gave their five year old son the same thing. He’s so short that he has to stand in the middle between the seat and the bars. He is completely unbalanced. Even after cutting the seat pipe, the seat is too tall. Doesn’t stop them though.
Drive by Mantua, NJ and look out for the five year old on the very same type scooter.
I had a bike as a laddie, and I’m all for bikes. I saddens me when I see kids on powered scooters. Even more depressing are those little electric cars they give to toddlers so they can tool around like paraplegics. God forbid children should actually exercise! Seem like just another way to make fatter kids.
BTW, this topic will be dealt with in chapter 5 of my new book, America: We Had a Good Run.
My girlfriend has a 10yo whose father has no clue. He gave a similar scooter (without seat) to his son at 8. I had to buy the helmet and pads…freaking moron.
Ohh and this year the same son turned 10. Guess what he got? a fucking set of professional chef knives!! CLEAVER INCLUDED! The boy makes an omelete once and now his dad thinks he is Emeril. The guy is a dipshit.
Actually, I distinctly remember grinding off Princess Leia’s face with a bicycle tire (my friend’s idea). We had the bike’s upside down and were pretending to be “motorcycle mechanics” and we’d do fancy stuff like put hockey cards in the spokes to make that propeller noise.
And using the tire treads to grind off Pricess Leia’s face.
Ah, to be young again…
Thank, Og no one had given me a motorized vehicle!
I got my 9 year old son an electric scooter for Christmas. It only has an 80 Watt motor so he has to kick it off to start it. There is no seat, it is the stand up type like a normal scooter. It only goes 10 mph, and has a hand brake. He wears a helmet and pads at all times and we even have some of those 2-way radios with a 2 mile talking distance that he he carries. He doesn’t get off our street. It was his favorite gift this year.
These things are a lot worse than the dirt bikes, which are usually given by responsible parents who know about motorcycles and are meant to be riden off-road.
Kids are driving these things on the street, at night, all over the place.
