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Traffic
and Scooters
Are Parent’s Responsible?
By Daniel Muniz
Like many other city publications across the
country, my local newspaper has a Watchdog column in which the
general public can submit questions on just about anything in
general.
Recently, a perturbed reader complained to the
column about what could be done about the kids of his neighborhood
who zip around in motorized scooters especially when there is a lot
of traffic.
The Watchdog published his question in the San Antonio Express-News:
He said he's called the
police, but nothing has changed. So what he wants to know is,
what are the rules? Who's responsible for keeping these kids off
the streets?
The Watchdog columnist then gave the following reply:
The Watchdog was
shocked to learn that, yes, the children's parents are actually
the ones responsible. Imagine that.
The column went on to further explain the police department’s
response:
Joe Rios, public
information officer for the San Antonio Police Department, said
the police can enforce traffic laws on motor vehicles only with
a minimum of 50 cc's of power. Many of the scooters and
so-called "pocket bikes" are less than that, he said…
"Anything under 50 cc's is not considered a motor vehicle,
and, no, there's no law to enforce," Rios said. "Parents need to
use common sense. The big thing with a lot of these pocket bikes
is that other drivers can't see you."
Additionally, the police cannot enforce traffic laws in gated
communities on private property. So in that case, the public
needs to look to the rules provided by the homeowners
association.
So parents are actually responsible for the behavior and safety
of their own children? And that role doesn’t belong to the local
police department or to anybody else?
I am sure that there are plenty of trial lawyers who will see that
differently especially after a kid gets run over.
But this question and answer was not much of a surprise to me. There
are plenty of parents who truly feel that their children’s personal
safety is not really their responsibility particularly when they are
out on the streets.
In fact, it has become fairly common for me to read in my local
paper where an unsupervised child dies and then the parent blames
the city for the tragedy. For instance, every Easter a major city
park in my hometown is inundated with picnickers. During one
particular Easter, a child drowned in the San Antonio River and the
parents filed a lawsuit against the city claiming that it was the
park rangers’ responsibility to prevent their child’s death. The
following year, the city almost closed down the park for Easter in
order to prevent future lawsuits.
Another time, after a heavy storm, a kid riding his bicycle rode
into a low water crossing and then got swept away by a swift current
and drowned. Again, the parents complained that it was the city’s
fault for not setting up barricades on all the roadways in time and
for not putting up enough warning signs.
For a lot of parents, it perhaps has never occurred to them that
they should at least be cognizant of what their own offspring is up
to especially when it involves heavy traffic or the normal elements
of Mother Nature like flooding. Even for adults, the real world is
dangerous but somehow certain parents subscribe to that age old
maxim of “out of sight, out of mind” regarding the supervision of
their own children.
Unfortunately, too many people simply feel that the moment that
their kids step outside of the house or beyond their front yard,
then their parental role has ended. As a result, whatever fate
befalls on their offspring is not really their fault.
In some ways, it is fairly common for people to be duped into
believing that somebody else is supposed to be responsible for their
own welfare and safety. And this mentality is seeping into all
facets of life.
For instance, a hurricane is coming. I live in a hurricane prone
area. Should I have “already” stocked up on gasoline, food, water,
and other emergency supplies ahead of time?
Or is the government’s responsibility to do my preparation and
thinking for me?
And is it also the government’s fault when individuals fail to
prepare and think?
The media sure seemed to think so when it reported the aftermath of
hurricane Katrina. The press focused so much on human suffering but
gave so little attention to personal responsibility. Somehow, the
government was supposed to rescue everybody within 24 hours so why
bother keeping several days worth of food, water, and other
emergency supplies?
What about the next scenario:
I know nothing about credit and personal finance yet I am going to
accept a high interest credit card with awful terms without shopping
around. Afterwards, I get slammed with high interest rates and
outrageous fees and charges.
Is it the government’s responsibility to completely ensure that I
not get exploited by sub-prime outfits?
I in no way advocate the exploitation of consumers by unscrupulous
credit card companies. But who has the greatest responsibility in
preventing you from getting a raw deal from these sub-prime
predators?
The list could practically go on forever. In essence, people
complain about a lot of things and they don’t mind blaming other
people or the government for their woes. However, how much is it in
vogue for people to blame themselves for their own failings?
It would be tragic if a kid riding in a motorized scooter did get
run over. And I hope it never happens in my city. But I also hope
that parents would also become more accountable to their children
and at least become aware of what they are doing in a busy street
instead of believing that someone else should have that role. All
the complaining in the world will not bring back the life of a child
just because a parent feels that their responsibility ended at the
front door or at the front yard.
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