Road safety charity: ‘Don’t buy your kids motorbikes’

Parents who buy motorcycles for their children are irresponsible, according to an influential road safety charity.

Junior motorcycles are “inappropriate for children” and getting your child one is “hardly responsible”, the high-profile charity Brake declared in a national newspaper. The comments have been criticised as ignorant by major motorcycle manufacturers.

Julie Townsend, Brake’s campaigns director, told the Daily Mirror: “Junior motorbikes are powerful machines that can and do seriously injure those who use them.

“For this reason they are totally inappropriate for children and we urge all parents to acknowledge this.

“Giving one as a gift is hardly responsible.”

Asked for casualty data to supports the comments, Brake told MCN: “We don’t collect crash data. The Department for Transport collects crash data so you could ask them.”

The comments were attacked by Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki, who all make motocrossers suitable for children.

Suzuki’s Luke Plummer said: “Brake’s comments are misinformed and ignorant. Getting kids on bikes with training in a safe environment on private land is positive. It reduces the chance of them having a serious accident when they turn 17.” 

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