AIBU to think scooters on the school run are a bloody nuisance

[17leftfeet]

I have no problem with little ones in them that are under the control of the adults they are with

But 7 yos plus who career down the paths at a million miles an hour are just not on!

Especially when they are going back and forth

And a new menace this morning -the electric scooter that you can't hear coming -I nearly got flattened this morning

And shouting 'scuse me while making no attempt to slow down is not good manners!

Pavements are for people not scooters!

I haven't had to do a school trip for many a long year (thank heavens) but I have a question about scooters and bikes etc.

If a child knocks over a person (for example like the poor older lady mentioned above) and really hurts them could the parent not be hauled over the coals by the police for not supervising properly?

There surely have to be some consequences in place?

That story about the lady ending up in hospital and dying ^^ is really bad.

I think scooters are fine as long as they don't go too fast where it's crowded or going round a corner and take care around other people.

For us it practically halves the journey time to school, and DDs can't go very fast as we get nearer to school as there are lots of people and the pavements are narrow, also there is a very good rule that they must wheel their scooters once on school premises.

So like anything else, it works well if people have good manners and are considerate and not if they don't.

To my mind it's far better than driving the 3/4 mile to school as some parents do.

If you hit someone with your car you'd be prosecuted if you were driving dangerously/recklessly.

Should parents be prosecuted if their child injures someone due to reckless scooter/bike riding?

YANBU! I get the bus to work every day (hellishly busy London interchange/commuter route) and I regularly see kids scoot to the bus stop, parents will then sling child and scooter onto packed bus where they generally get in the way of everyone and thoroughly piss them off.

So like anything else, it works well if people have good manners and are considerate and not if they don't.

This sums it up for me. It is all about having a bit of consideration for others, IMO.

Personally I wish there were more scooters and fewer cars on the school run! In terms of relative lethality, there's not much contest. We live 1.5 miles from school and we take our lives into our hands on every single school run because of thoughtless drivers.

And if you'd prefer people living far from school to drive rather than take their kids on scooters, you are entirely mistaken in your relative risk assessments!

Exactly, impecunious.

YABU to lump everyone in together.

My daughters scoot to school (5yo and 2yo) and they know the rules;

1. They must not scoot to far ahead and they are not allowed to go round a corner where I cannot see them so they must stop and wait for me. (this only applies to the 6yo, the 2yo scoots just in front of me)

1. DD2 gets off her scooter and holds my hand to cross the road, I pick up her scooter and carry it across. DD1 is not allowed to scoot across the road, she has to push it across sensibly, whilst walking next to me.

1. They are not allowed to ride close to anyone in front of us.

1. In crowded areas they come off and push their scooter. The same applies in shops.

1. At certain spots they have to wait for me because I know there is a risk of car pulling out.

Any infraction of these rules means they lose their scooter ie I carry it the rest of the way and they walk. They hate this so they do as they are told.

And yes 2yo dd2 falls off her mini micro at least once a day. But she would fall over if she was walking. Shes a toddler, its what she does. In January dd3 will be born and I'm buggered if I'm buying a double buggy for 3yo dd2 to sit in (she will turn 3 soon) so she has to walk or scoot to school. I wouldn't get her there walking, so I am teaching her to scoot safety.

Don't judge everyone by the same standard.

I always worry when I drive down roads and there is a kid on a scooter speeding down the pavement, especially when it's a narrow pavement. All it would take was for the kid to turn when they didn't mean to, being unable to stop in time and they're in front of my car. And yes, I worry about kids on bikes as well.

Scooters in supermarkets are just bloody annoying and I can't see the point of them at all.

YANBU.

They are ok on the way to school but when the paths get congested around the school then they need to get off them and walk.

It is chaotic enough outside schools at drop off time without having to dodge scooters!

Here's the earlier thread. I don't know how the injured woman is doing, or her dependent husband ...

Earlier scooter thread

You see, I think it's all very well saying that one's children are under control, and you insist on certain rules & so on.

Clearly, some parents don't give clear guidance nor insist on their children learning to consider other pedestrians, or have basic good manners.

And so people are irritated by all scooting children. And some people end up in hospital ...

Yes they are a menace.

I have seen lots of reported accidents too, wasnt one on here where a little old ladeee got knocked down?

Anyway, scooters are fine, I just wonder why the adults in charge cannot simply lay down a few ground rules for them, and keep the child in sight?

Ie no scooting like a manic leaving school when other people are still on the pavement!

lots of x posts there.

Un responsible parenting,

I would be cringing and hiding my face behind my eyes in shame if i let DD tear on her scooter the way some parents let their DC!

Confused,

I have see some DC who do get off scooter when people are around, then hop back on, the parents is always within sight too.

I do know you exist!

It was me that posted the earlier thread. Thanks for finding in chimney.

The update is that both the elderly people are in separate care homes. The lady is having rehab care and still hopes to come home and have her husband home with her.

A solicitor is working with the couple and I don't want to say more than that about that aspect, really.

The update is that both the elderly people are in separate care homes

Good lord! that is so so sad. Really sad -- 6 weeks later, they're still separated. I can't imagine how difficult & distressing it must be for them both. And I'm guessing quite life-limiting, to be blunt.

I hope that the parents of the child who ran into the woman are doing all they can to offer some kind of restitution. And teach their children some consideration for others ...

They are great for getting DC exercising and from place to place in a fun way but they have to do this responsibly.

Our primary school is up a big hill and banned scooters after several accidents but there are always those that think they are immune to such things and we still have to dodge them daily ~ it's usually the really young ones who are out of control ~ scary

I love the way some people on MN latch onto something and uses it to prove every point form there on afterwards.

I wonder how many times that scooter story will be linked to when someone on MN is hating on scooters.

I am sure an elderly woman was knocked down somewhere in the UK by a car yesterday yet I don't hear calls for all cars to be banned.

But people do call for their use to be restricted and that is why they are limited by laws.

And just because cars are dangerous doesn't take away from the fact that way to many parents allow children to be down right dangerous when it comes to scooters.

Oh I agree that cars are actually lethal weapons! We take their dangerousness far too lightly.

But I guess the difference is that you have to be licensed and presumably adult to drive a car, and a whole lot of dangerous aspects to driving are illegal eg drinking and driving, speeding, operating a cell phone (ha ha how many people break that law!), and so on.

And cars are on roads, so (mostly) separate from pedestrians.

Small children going quite fast on scooters are not trained, or in control. That's the difference...

At DS's school they arent allowed to ride them in school grounds so it stops at the gate. DS loves his scooter and it is quicker than him walking dawdling so imo yabu (although obviously if you mean actually in school grounds across the playgrounds etc, then you are absolutely not BU)

And scooting children are mixed in with pedestrians. And - in my observation - seem to think they have right of way on the pavement -- usually because I don't want my ankle smashed. Some children are learning that "might is right." And that is not a very positive lesson for them to learn, frankly.

Chimney this horrible incident is why plastic bobbies now patrol a few times a week. But when they aren't there parents still let the kids scoot along the narrow pavement.

Utterly selfish.

The laws don't stop irresponsible people driving them and causing accidents though.

So that's not a valid point.

The OP wants scooters banned from pavements because they are downright dangerous and the same argument could be made for cars on roads. Except it won't be because everyone on this thread rely on road transport.

I would actually very happily ban cars within a half mile radius of schools at drop off and pick up times (other than residents parking of course and blue badge holders etc). But 2 wrongs don't make a right and you can change the argument as much as you like but scooters ARE a problem on school runs