WITH the start of the new school term, old practices and bad habits are back on display because there have been no proper enforcement by the authorities.

Many parents send and pick their children from school on their motorcycles. There is nothing wrong in that except that, most of the time, the adult wears a helmet while the two or three children riding pillion don’t.

Some children, on the other hand, wear ill-fitting helmets which are too big for their heads. In case of a fall, the helmet will come off easily, exposing the children to serious injury. Ferrying one child without wearing a helmet is bad. But having two or three children (without helmets) on the motorcycle is suicidal.

With two or three children riding pillion, the child at the rear end of the motorcycle is barely able to hold on to the parent or the seat. There is no form of protection for the children and they are seen dangling as the motorcycle speeds and weaves in and out of traffic.

Many parents throw caution to the wind daily because it is a convenient and a cheap form of transport, not realising that they are endangering the lives of their children on the road.

At other times, one often sees young children zooming in and around housing areas on their parents’ motorcycles, without helmets.

These youngsters are barely able to control the machine, but take great pride in speeding along the alleys. They run errands for their parents and spend the evenings riding these machines in their housing estates.

The more adventurous sometimes venture onto main roads without helmets or driving licence. This is another example of parental negligence.

An accident involving a motorcycle in most cases results in death or serious injury. Even falling off a stationary motorcycle can result in severe injury. And every year, motorcyclists and pillion riders account for the highest number of fatalities on our roads.

Parents who allow their children to ride these “death machines” should be charged with parental negligence.

SAMUEL YESUIAH, Seremban

Source: NST – January 15, 2008