DUBAI, 5 July 2007 — Dubai authorities are cracking down on unlicensed users of quad bikes. Children and teenagers on main streets often use the bikes and some end up causing fatal accidents.
The use of such bikes is usually common during the summer holidays and the holy month of Ramadan. Brig. Mohammed Saif Al-Zafeen, director of the Traffic Department, said that underage users of these bikes endanger their lives and those of others.
Al-Zafeen revealed that during last Ramadan more than 20 accidents involving such vehicles were registered. One child lost his life while 19 other youngsters sustained injuries ranging from serious to moderate during that period.
He said parents buy quad bikes for their children rewards for passing school exams, unaware that such irresponsible gifts can lead to tragedy. “I cannot comprehend why some parents buy these vehicles for their children,” Al-Zafeen. “We have found kids as young as seven riding them.”
Al-Zafeen pointed out that these bikes should only be used in open spaces in the desert, stressing that the streets are not playgrounds for such vehicles and warned that the police will confiscate any bikes found on the roads. Police officers are patrolling residential areas round the clock to catch users.
Al-Zafeen advised parents to take the time to teach their children practical, skills-based training to improve their children’s driving habits. Most childhood bicycle-related fatalities are associated with behaviors such as riding into a street without stopping, turning left or swerving into traffic coming from behind, running a stop sign or riding against the flow of traffic. “Even if your child is in his teens you still need to impart good road skills to him or her,” he said.
