Parents upset over ban on children riding motorbikes
A proposed ban on young children riding on motorcycles has upset many parents who use a bike to send their children to school.
“What am I supposed to do if this proposal gets the green light”, lamented Darame Paitisakul, who has a four-year-old son.
She said she did not trust school bus services in the wake of reports that some kids had been left in school vans and suffocated.
On Wednesday, the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) proposed that motorcycle passengers must be more than six years old.
Many child motorcycle passengers are often seen without safety helmets.
Statistics show a huge number of children have died or been injured in motorcycle accidents.
Of all road accidents, about 80 per cent involve motorcycles.
A study found that child passengers often fall asleep while on motorcycles.
“We believe it’s necessary to put a warning label on every motorcycle too. The label should read “Death and disability without using helmet”. The label must be shown clearly on the motorcycle,” OCPB deputy secretary general Virachai Chomsakorn said.
While the OCPB’s intention is good, its proposal has had a cool reception.
Boonta Vicheanchuy, a factory worker, said she usually hired a motorcycle taxi to send her boy to school.
“The school bus services will be more expensive. I can’t afford them,” she said.
Thawichai Milarp, a government official, believed the ban on young kids riding on motorcycles would violate people’s rights.
“If we don’t use motorcycles, my children will have to wake up before sunrise because of traffic jams,” he said.
