As a parent, it’s your job to do two things with your children. Stoke their loves and interests, and keep them safe. Those are not mutually exclusive, as you can absolutely do both at the same time. And it’s something I’ve strived to do with my own children who see my passion for motorcycles and want to emulate me.
Helmets are a must, as is other protective gear. And following the rules of the road, watching for other cars, keeping your eyes up and watchful, doing the right thing, and more are paramount to their safety and them being allowed to ride their respective machines. They can have fun, but if they’re not being as safe as they can, or disobeying the rules, then they aren’t allowed to touch them.
Respect the machine, just like you’d do with a gun, as the consequences of both are dire if you get them wrong.
That’s exactly what one father and son duo are learning, as after running afoul of the law earlier this year on his all-electric Talaria dirt bike, a 12-year-old ran a red light and was struck by a car. The boy will live, but had to go to intensive care. The child’s father, however, is now being charged with both a felony and a misdemeanor, as he could’ve prevented the whole thing from happening. And the law is right to throw the book at him.
According to KTLA, Richard John Eyssallenne, the boy’s father, was charged with “one felony count of child endangerment and abuse and one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He’s facing a maximum sentence of six years in state prison if convicted.” The report from the news outlet also states that the boy was given a Talaria XXX as a present the prior Christmas, but had already had a run-in with the police for riding illegally before the crash, which occurred last summer.
Supposedly, the EV dirt bike had been impounded, and both the boy and father had to go to an e-bike safety briefing, which was done by the Yorba Linda Police Services. Obviously, neither father nor child paid enough attention to the briefing, as only a few months later, the collision occurred when the boy ran a red light and a car sideswiped him, resulting in “a concussion, an intercranial bleed, skull fracture, a broken wrist, and a fractured femur.”
Moreover, according to the law governing these dirt bikes, the kid shouldn’t have even been riding on the road, as per the statute, he needed to be 16 years-old and possess a valid motorcycle license. Two things he most certainly didn’t have. All of that culminates in why the child’s father was charged with those crimes, as while the kid should’ve been taught to not hit the street, it’s ultimately the responsibility of the parent to keep that kid safe and off the road. Not only could this have been way worse, but you’ve also now got a seriously injured child, and likely a traumatized driver who did nothing wrong.
So yeah, throw the book at the dad.
I, personally, love these EV dirt bikes. They’re inexpensive to purchase and maintain, don’t annoy your neighbors, and teach kids and adults far better rider habits when on dirt. These are how the next generation of riders will learn. But you have to teach them not to be stupid. Again, if my kids are acting out or not treating it with the respect it deserves, they don’t get the keys. They don’t get to have fun. They don’t get to use it. It’s up to you to teach them right, because if you don’t, this will happen, and I can’t imagine how painful this must’ve been, both for the kid, the parents, and even the driver.
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