Be alive to the dangers of kick scooters

Accidents involving motorised personal mobility devices have been in the spotlight.

But a device that is not getting as much attention as it should is the kick scooter, which is becoming popular among children. 

It is often seen along busy walkways at shopping malls, MRT stations and hawker centres. 

It is time for the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to look into this device and educate kids on safe riding. 

In October 2015, a car nearly hit a boy who was riding his kick scooter recklessly along a road in Sengkang town. In another incident two years later, a six-year-old boy riding a kick scooter was knocked down by a car as he tried to cut across Leedon Road near Holland Village.

Kick scooters can be dangerous without proper safety precautions. 

LTA should consider banning these scooters in parks where elderly people move about. The agency should also advise kids, via educational programmes in schools and the media, to always wear a helmet as well as elbow and knee pads and wrist guards. 

They should also be told to ride on smooth, paved surfaces away from motor vehicles. 

Parents should also help their children until they become confident in operating the scooter on their own.

They should check LTA’s rules and code of conduct governing such devices, and make sure their children comply.

It is common to see parents joining their children on kick scooters without the slightest regard for pedestrian safety. 

Parents must ask themselves if their child is ready to ride a scooter. For example, what types are most suitable for their child’s age? 

Key considerations must include the child’s size, motor skills and physical ability. Children differ in motor skills at any given age, so physical ability is a better predictor than age or size in determining if a child is ready to use a kick scooter. 

Allowing a child who is not ready to ride a large scooter is dangerous. 

A kick scooter may resemble a toy, but do not let that fool you. When a child rides it, he is handling a personal mobility device on his own with no help directing its movement. 

We can no longer view the device as a toy. We should see it as a dangerous commuting vehicle that can lead to accidents and injuries.

It can harm not only the rider, but also innocent pedestrians.

Have views on this issue or a news topic you care about? Send your letter to voices [at] mediacorp.com.sg with your full name, address and phone number.