Originally posted by Smiley
[br]A tragic story no doubt, but I'm interested in peoples opinions. Is a 3yo too young to be on a motorbike? Should it be illegal to put training wheels on a motorbike? How do you police something like this? What about if it's on private property? Personally I think it, like many things, comes down to common sense. It's just tragic when a lack of common sense by parents results in such a tragic outcome. Has Darwin just erased one more speck from the gene pool? Harsh...but...? Was this a forseeable outcome?
EDIT: There was recently a vid of a really young kid who was an extrememly good rider. So obviously in the right environment, young kids can excel.
Toddler killed on motorbike[/size=2]
[br]September 10, 2007 10:05am
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/ ... 61,00.html
A THREE-year-old boy has been killed while riding a motorbike with training wheels.
The child rode over a parched river bank and fell three metres headfirst on to a log near Horsham yesterday afternoon.
Ambulance paramedics said the youngster was wearing a helmet, but struck his head with so much force his heart stopped.
His horrified parents and other family and friends raced to the boy's aid after the accident at Quantong, along the drought-ravaged Wimmera River.
The boy's father carried him up the embankment and tried to resuscitate him while waiting for an ambulance.
The child was riding a Yamaha Pee Wee 50 fitted with steel training wheels with rubber tyres.
Two advanced life support ambulance teams were called to the scene at 1.39pm.
The boy was flown by helicopter to the Royal Children's Hospital in a critical condition .
He died several hours later.
A spokesman for the motorbike's manufacturer was shocked at the age of the child involved.
"I've never heard of a child that young using one," Yamaha Motor Australia's Sean Goldhawk said.
The company does not set specific age guidelines for the bike, which is one of the nation's biggest sellers.
But Mr Goldhawk said Yamaha did not endorse the use of training wheels.
"If you can't touch the floor you're not supposed to be riding it," Mr Goldhawk said.
A Horsham policeman who knows the child's family was among the first officers at the accident site, which is a popular motorbike riding area.
Sen-Sgt Elsom said the boy's parents were traumatised.
"It's a very tragic, unfortunate incident. I feel for the family and I know they will be suffering," Sen-Sgt Trevor Elsom said.
Sen-Sgt Elsom said the river was low and littered with logs because of the drought.
Rural Ambulance Service spokesman John Mullen said the boy was wearing a helmet, but hit his head so hard that he suffered heart failure.
"He's gone over ... and fallen into the river. The water level was very low and he hit his head on a log," Mr Mullen said.
"He went into traumatic arrest. His heart had stopped."
The popular motorbike ridden by the boy stands 48.5cm from the seat to the ground.
About 1500 are sold nationwide each year.
Police seized the motorbike and will do mechanical checks. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
I think it's wrong that only one company makes the game Monopoly. Steven Wright, Comedian.
[/size=1]
This one just stuns me, i mean theres a place for these sorts of activities, and within reason the 3 year old 'might' be able to use the pw50 safely. A huge dead-flat grass paddock with nothing to run into is safe, a 'popular motorbike riding area' with a 3 metre drop-off is just plain insane. And even though its only my opinion (flame me all you like), the parents were complety irresponsible letting him ride in an area like that. The problem was so much with the vehicle, but more the location. In a safer location where there are no obstacles or drop-off he might have been able to ride the bike in relative safety.
Personally i think it's ridiculous letting a 3-year old on a motorcycle, especially with training wheels. How could a 3-year old possibly understand what responsibility there is in riding a bike that can go what, 50-60km/h? I don't think it's fair on the kid to have to make decisions without having any perspective..........
Putting training wheels on a motorcycle isn't the same as putting them on a pushbike. It may help on a pushbike, cause of your low speed and movement, putting them on a motorbike isn't going to make it just as safe as a pushie. You'd think that people would have enough common sense to realise that if the child isn't big enough to ride the bike, then mayeb he's no suitable for it? Putting training wheels on a motorcycle is like using newspaper as a helmet cause they didn't have one in your size......... you may have something on your head that fits, sure aint safe though
Get with the times boy. Don't you know we wear tinfoil ones now? 
)
And, for mine, if the kid needed training wheels, then they weren't ready for a bike with a motor and should have stayed on the BMX (away from the drop-off).
