Well, I Almost Hit A Kid Today With My Car!

[Feralpeg]

I was driving through my neighborhood. People park on the streets in our development, so I always go slow. It is a good thing I did. A kid on one of those little tiny motorcycle things comes out from behind a park car right in front of me. I slammed on my brakes just in time. He just kind of looked at me as he crossed the street. Then, two more kids on the bikes followed. They didn't even look. They just pulled across the street. These kids couldn't have been more than about seven years old.

I'm sure they got the bikes for Christmas. I never saw them before. I was to shook up at the time to do anything and they just kept going on the bikes. Next time I see them, I'm going to find out where they live and have a chat with their parents. They probably won't appreciate it, but why in the world would you let you kid ride one of those things on the street? They are only about a foot off the ground. They would be hard to see in the best circumstances. I don't care if they ride them on the sidewalk, but they just are not safe on the streets.

Seven year olds don't belong on motorized bikes! JMHO!

 

[clarabelle]

I am amazed at how people buy motorized things for children and let them use them on the street.
Golf carts are a big problem in our neighborhood. We don't have cart paths so kids drive them in the streets.

 

[makinorlando]

Oh no. That must have been a scary moment for you! Kids just don't think. I am so fearful in our neighborhood that a child will get hit, some of the people that drive through here go so fast, there are cars on the street, and the street curves frequently. I always go slow as well, you just never know when a child (or a Sand crane) will walk in the path of the car!!!

 

[Planogirl]

Kids on regular bikes cross in front of me a lot in our neighborhood. Sometimes they look and sometimes they don't. They're just accidents waiting to happen.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

They're called Pocket Rockets, Peg.

We don't have them around here (not that I'm aware of anyway),but the kids around here think it's cool to set up a skate/bike ramp in the middle of the road and have the gall to give YOU dirty looks when you honk at them for beiing in the middle of the friggin road.

We had one large ramp confiscated by the city,but a week later they had another smaller one out there. You can't win.

TOV

 

[ugadog99]

A friend of mine bought her son one of those bike things. He is 11 and I don't think he is responsible enough to ride it unattended. Of course, she lets him go wherever in the neighborhood on it. I think they are very dangerous. That child is very fortunate you were able to stop in time. Sometimes I have to wonder what parents are thinking...

 

[doxdogy]

So sorry to hear that you had a scare today. Kids in my neighborhood do it all the time. A few months ago I was coming home from work late and this kid stepped off of the curb right in front of me. Thankfully I saw him and I was going slow too. I remember as a teenager seeing one of neighborhood kids hit by a car after not looking and running out in front of the car. Even after she was hit, she would still sometimes start to cross the street without looking.

 

[disneymom3]

We used to live across the street from the stupidest family in the nation. Really, they had to have been because anyone stupider would have been dead. They had a three year old and the poor little guy was clueless and completely unsupervised. He had one of those motorized cars and would ride in the street on it with no adults around. Several times, HE hit a CAR on his dumb little car. He hit our one neighbor twice!! The guy would slow waaaaayyyy down and drive down the street as carefully as he could and this kid literally drove into the back of his car. Both times, he went to the door to talk to the mom. One of the times, she was in the bathtub and didn't even know her little guy was outside. Another time we were coming home and as we came down the road into our development, here comes this little boy on his car. The road leading into the development was at least half a mile long and good thing because this kid was on his way to a very busy street. I called to him to stop and come back to his house but he just looked at me and kept going. Mom was in the yard by the time I got to our house looking for him.

I can imagine how scary it was to have that kid dart out at you. I just don't get what the point of all this motorized stuff for kids is. No wonder we have such problems with obesity in our culture. Kids don't even ride bikes anymore, they drive them.

 

[lewdyan1]

These are illegal except on private property in Florida. This article is from this past Monday.

Miami Teen Dies In Pocket Bike Crash
11-Year-Old Hospitalized With Serious Injuries

POSTED: 10:52 am EST December 26, 2005

MIAMI -- A Miami teenager is dead and an 11-year-old has been hospitalized following a crash between a pocket bike and a pickup truck.

Miami-Dade authorities say 15-year-old Antonio Pereira was driving the miniature motorcycle when it struck the truck parked on a bike path.

Fire-Rescue officials say Pereira was airlifted to Miami Children's Hospital where he died.

The 11-year-old was a passenger on the motorcycle. His name hasn't been released, but The Miami Herald is reporting that he remains hospitalized with serious injuries.

Safety advocates say pocket bikes are dangerous because they're low to the ground and hard for other drivers to see. A driver's license isn't required to operate the bikes, which can reach speeds up to 45 mph but lack the safety features of full-size motorcycles.

Riding pocket bikes is prohibited in Florida, except on private property.

 

[sleepyone]

Seriously, we need a law. If you're not supervising your child and they are involved in an accident, the PARENT should be held responsible for any damage and should be fined or locked up or something. WATCH YOUR KIDS, PEOPLE!!! LET THE KIDS PLAY IN YOUR YARD AND NOT IN THE STREET!

I just know someone is going to get ran over in my neighborhood. It's horrible. I have to drive an obstacle course just to get home...the cars, kids, toys, pets, etc.

This is my pet peeve. can you tell?

 

[Keggy]

These are illegal except on private property in Florida. This article is from this past Monday.

Wow - I didn't know that, that is good to know.

Kelly

 

[Feralpeg]

These are illegal except on private property in Florida. This article is from this past Monday.

That's so sad. I wonder what the parents in my neighborhood would say if I showed it to them? I don't want to start a war, but I don't want that type of scare again either!

 

[disneymom3]

I wish they were illegal to drive anywhere but on private prop here too.


I just don't get the idea of people letting their little kids play in the street. We live on a fairly busy street so they don't here, but I have seen it a lot.

 

[Disneyrsh]

Natural selection at work...

 

[Mom2be]

As someone who has actually been hit by a car I'm glad you avoided it. I would be talking to their parents ASAP before they get themselves killed!
~Amanda