SAFETY & EDUCATION NEWS
HONDA SAYS EDUCATION – NOT BANNING - IS THE KEY TO SAFETY FOR YOUNG RIDERS
In light of the recent tragic death of a 3 year old boy who lost control
of his mini motorbike near his home in Horsham, VIC, Honda Australia has
publicly reinforced the message that rider education from a young age is
the key to safety.
According to Honda’s Managing Director, Stuart Strickland, a “ban” on
riding for those under 16 years of age, as has been suggested by some
advocate groups, is not the answer.
“If children are educated and supervised properly, it lessens the chance
of anything untoward happening,” he said.
“To try and keep kids from pursuing their dreams and learning how to ride
is not going to achieve anything except more tragedy. It is vital that we
embrace their desire to learn, and help them along the path in a mature,
safe way.”
Recent statistics published in the media suggest that there are an
inordinately high number of injuries sustained by youngsters from
motorcycle accidents. However there are also statistics to support the
fact that there are a comparable number of young patients admitted for
other non-motorised sport related injuries (i.e. football).
“At the end of the day, it is about making sure kids know what they are
doing. Honda proactively supports the ongoing education of children to
help them to understand the responsibilities involved with motorcycling
through our Red Riders and SMART programs.”
“We see these programs as an extremely important part of our community
obligation,” Strickland added.
Red Riders is a joint Honda Australia and Full Throttle Sports (FTS)
inter-schools motorcycle learning initiative, and incorporates a series of
school presentations around the country to class sizes of up to 100
students.
FTS also conduct SMART (motocross and supercross) riding schools around
the country for people of all ages and of all levels of riding experience,
to improve their skills and knowledge about how to best maintain control
of a motorcycle.
FTS have held over 400 SMART riding schools and taught over 10,000
students nationwide since its inception.
Similarly, the Red Riders program which started in 2004, visits numerous
schools in every state each year.
A total of 500 schools will be visited by the end of this year alone, and
over 30,000 students have now had the opportunity to learn of the
importance of rider safety and clean living.
Red Riders which is an acronym for “Ride, Educate, Discover”, aims to
introduce youths to motorcycling and sports, and encourage them to live a
healthy and adventurous lifestyle.
“We encourage kids to maintain a strong commitment to school and to
sport,” explained FTS Program Director Yarrive Konsky.
“I find a lot of these kids are already interested in riding bikes but
they have never had anyone sit down and talk to them about some of the
important issues.”
Those issues include which bike to choose, what gear to wear, training,
nutrition, healthy living, the problem of drugs in sport, discipline and
dedication.
“Our presentations are usually consistent with the work being covered at
various schools in regard to goal setting, persistence, self-esteem,
safety and daring to dream,” Konsky said.
“Young teenagers are not allowed to drive a car on the road until they are
properly educated and I believe that the same should apply with dirt
bikes. There is no need to hold children back in this regard, however
there is a greater need to educate them correctly.”
An educator from Coominya State School in Queensland said about a recent
visit by Red Riders that it was a “fascinating” experience.
“The facilitator engaged the children really well. They gained a lot of
knowledge about safety when riding which is important in this area, as
most kids here have motorbikes. The children talked about the presentation
for weeks, and in particular, they were most interested in the safety gear
that the riders wear,” she said.
Honda is dedicated to providing as much support and information to young
riders as possible, and is achieving this through additional initiatives
such as the Red Riders website (www.redriders.com.au), as
well as mini bike ride days organised by the Honda Riders Club of
Australia (www.hrca.com.au).
|
