21 and over rides...
Thread started by
skano at 08.28.10 - 10:11 pm
I noticed the S&S Dice run today (D'Oh, missed it!) was 21 and over..
who thinks we should have more 21 and over rides???
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Okay, this is an interesting question.
I have always wondered, when we have minors on these large group nights, at night, who is responsible for these kids? If they get hit by a car, like one did on LACM on Friday, who takes care of them? I'm partly concerned that parents are letting their underage kids out on rides with no supervision. If I had been going out on a late-night ride with a large group of people when I was 15, my parents would have wanted contact info for the organizer just to be safe.
However, I don't think you can single out minors as the ones doing the shenanigans on rides (as others have suggested). And I love that kids want to come out to rides because they think riding a bike is cool. They are deciding the future of transportation in this county, so we need them on bikes.
But I think something to remember is that, regardless of what we put on ride posts about the ride leaders not being liable, is that minors, according to the law, aren't responsible for themselves. They have parents or guardians that have to be present to enter into contracts, they can't be interviewed by PD without a parent or guardian present. So if you put a ride post out, and minors show up, can you be held liable in a court of law for anything that happens to them or anything they do? I seem to recall a charge called "contributing to the delinquency of a minor".
I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if a court would find a ride leader liable. Again, I don't think discluding youth from rides is the solution, but thinking about how we can continue to make rides safe and law-abiding, for their sake, is a conversation that should continue to be had.
danceralamode08.29.10 - 12:49 pm
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I'm all for 21 and over rides. Teenagers are annoying anyways. I'm not getting old, I am just not a teen twat anymore and teens are the ones with the fixed gear mania. I hate fixed gears! Get a road bike! Keep the fixies on the velodrome. I saw the kid who got hurt on LACM last time around on Fountain at 9:30pm. He was seriously hurt but I don't know much because I left. I was not responsible for him and there was help on the way. That fucking sucks, to see a kid hurt and having to ride away because you got to do your thing to do and he's not yours to deal with. What would the parents think? Teens should stay around their neighborhoods and come on rides when they are older, have brakes, common sense, and geared.
bicicleta_del_demonio09.5.10 - 3:49 pm
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