Young Motorcyclists Break Legs

[Humphrey Bear]

From the current Pattaya Mail

Young motorcyclists break legs

Four schoolgirls on motorcycle were injured when they failed to stop at a red light and collided with a Royal Thai Navy pickup truck.

The rider Wanda Parapol, 14, and passengers Arisara Kruachang, 13, Panida Srisookyo, 14, and Passaraporn Kusonapiban, 14, all broke their right legs in the accident in Sattahip early on October 2.

Pol. Lt. Col. Rerngsak Sookcharoen attended to the girls at the scene.

Wanda said she and her friends had come from the direction of the Kilometer 10 Market and were engrossed in an amusing chat and didn’t notice that the traffic light had turned red.

Police put splints on their injured legs before transferring them to the Queen Sirikit Hospital Naval Medical Department for further treatment.

It is not known whether Wanda’s parents have been reprimanded for allowing their underage, unlicensed daughter to ride a motorcycle with not one, but three passengers.

The parents should be in jail, but then the girls would probably burn the house down as well.

[Boater]

well on my drive to work this morning, i may have seen about 22 seperate motorbikes with kids riding!........ the kids will never learn and the parents are to thick to learn!

[BusyBee123]

wow harsh words bear and tarring alll 3 when only one was riding. I was riding when i was 14 and probably will until i die, unless you are there you cannot make a judgement call on what happened. Hope they all recover and thank goodness no one was killed.

[Humphrey Bear]

wow harsh words bear and tarring alll 3 when only one was riding. I was riding when i was 14 and probably will until i die, unless you are there you cannot make a judgement call on what happened. Hope they all recover and thank goodness no one was killed.

There's a driver and three passengers on the one bike - all under the legal minimum age for driving.

I have an 11-year-old daughter and last time I was home I caught her riding around Suksabai Villa on a mo'bike that a friend had left in the safe-keeping of my wife. I could not get through to either of them that this was not just illegal, but dangerous. Then I had the bright idea of telling them that they would be responsible for any damage if there was an accident. Seemed to do the trick.

In UK there are training classes to teach teens (and others) how to ride a mo'bike safely and be aware of the traffic around you. You have to take this course before you are allowed on the road even as a learner.

I learnt to have good traffic sense through bike-riding - racing in both time trials and massed start events, touring all over Europe and spending a year racing on the continent. But traffic was much lighter then (fifties / sixties) and it was fun. Now I would be doubtful if there is the possibility of so many people doing this - even though we racked up so many cycling medals in the last Olympics.

[Scott]

Hopefully, these girls have learned a valuable lesson and I wish them a speedy recovery (and a traffic fine just big enough to help that lesson stick).