Road Safety (Pillion Passengers) Bill

Meet in Helmsley for the CoTN?

 

This continued to reverberate around my head last night along these lines.

How would it be enforceable? Would the police randomly stop bikes to
check pillions' ages? or would it be down to parents to complain? Of
course, if there was an incident you'd be buggered.

The blanket permission is the rub. Even if I could prove a phone call,
how could I prove that the parent said 'yes' if subsequently they
claimed otherwise?

Written permission is not always a realistic option (take the example of
me kiving my kids' friends lifts home.) I'd have to get each of them to
get letters from their parents on the off chance I might want to drop
them off on the bike.

--
John

SV650
Black it is
and naked

 

I found this last night whilst rooting about:

http://bills.ais.co.uk/QZ.asp?title=q#59

--
John

SV650
Black it is
and naked

 

It's generally regarded as bad form to ride the MiL.

That's an interesting point, though.
Also, I wonder if step children need permission form both natural
parents? The more you look the less straightforward it is.


--
John

SV650
Black it is
and naked

 

Pencil only. It may be the date of the South Tyneside Mela, which
Pat'll want to go to.

 

Like all these issues, it's a matter of common sense and courtesy and
shouldn't be a fucking issue of compulsion and the law.

Has there been a huge increase in deaths and injuries because someone
took someone else pillion without asking permission?

No?

So why legislate?

 

I'd hate for you to have to give up your current practice. On balance,
though, I'm still with Nigel Waterson (good link by the way).

 

Personal answer - because I've seen how a 14-year-old girl's judgement
can be all over the place when she fancies a fella, and I don't want
some yoof enticing her on the back of a bike, showing off and killing
her.

Yes, he might do the same in a car, but the risks are less. You can
not legislate at all, legislate according to risk or smother in
legislation. I pick the middle path. YM clearly varies!

 

Yes, I see your point. I'm just wondering how many such incidents occur
without the parents' knowing said female is riding pillion. My guess
would be "damn few".

Amd when teenagers crash the cars they're driving, as they do, as they
crash every vehicle they pilot, they frequently take a carful of other
teenagers with them.

My judgment is probably skew-whiff, but I think I've read a hell of a
lot of reports of twats who've wiped themselves out, pus several others,
while at the wheel of some dodgy old Nova. It happened to a woman I
knew, some years back - her son took two others with him.

I think it does, yes. If only because I can't really see how "partial"
legislation can work. Tricky to enforce, and easy to abuse.

 

I'm sure it happens a lot more in cars than on bikes, but I suspect
the number of journeys varies even more - i.e. the risk per journey is
still higher on a bike, which is what common sense suggests anyway.

TBH I'm not sure how many lives the new law would actually save, and
I'm certainly not one of the "if it saves one life it will be worth
it" brigade. I guess I'm just left with the gut feeling that it's a
good thing. Clearly I'm partial, having raised a daughter.

 

<g> OK, so you binned h's bike. I'd still trust you with my daughter.

 

ITYF he's getting ready to save the world.

 

The Older Gentleman wrote:

ding dingely ding



--
John

SV650
Black it is
and naked

 

The thing is though, we know that 99% (estimeate) of people would ride
*much* more carefully with a pillion, particualrly not of their own brood.


--
John

SV650
Black it is
and naked

 

Yes, and as I'm in the throes of raising one myself, I understand.

 

Oooh! Ice cream! 99 Flake please, wiv sprinkles.

 

I have three, but it doesn't alter how I feel about this new bit of
controlling legislation.

--
John

SV650
Black it is
and naked

 

oh, okay, I retract my statement.

"No daugther of mine is ever riding pillion with you".

Mind you, I wouldn't have let them anyway, for other reasons ;-)

--
John

SV650
Black it is
and naked

 

jsp wrote

Two me and I am of the view that it shouldn't be one of things what
needs any legislation.

 

Is that an argument for or against legislation, though?
I'm very much with you for young kids like that.

--
John

SV650
Black it is
and naked