As a parent, chances are that you will have to deal with your teenage child wanting a motorbike at some point. While there are definitely risks associated with providing your son or daughter with this form of transport, you can reduce some of the dangers by following a few simple rules. As long as you sit down with your offspring and carefully go over each of the following, they should be safer while on the road.
Look Over Road Rules
The first thing is to ensure that your son or daughter knows all the necessary laws and regulations for riding a motorcycle. Sit down and teach them about the following ensuring they remember it all:
- Speed limits
- Turn signals
- Overtaking
- Intersections
- Traffic lights
Also remember to tell them the specific reasons why these rules are in place. After all, they are there to keep the rider safe which your teenage child should appreciate.
Enrol Them in a Safety Course
To make sure that really know how to handle themselves on the road though, we recommend that you put your child into a suitable riding program. No matter where you are, teenagers can get formal experience in a motorbike training course. This will reduce the chances of an accident afterwards as they will know precisely what to do and how to handle the bike while on the road. Statistically, 90% of road accidents are with motorcyclists who have had no formal training. Thus, enrolling them in one of these courses can be a great way to keep them safe while riding around.
Talk about Insurance Plans
It’s also important to think about financial protection in case of an accident. Whether they are injured or the motorbike is damaged, they will need to consider how they are going to cover these added expenses. Insurance is the obvious answer here and you should go over the importance of finding the right coverage before they speed off.
A great idea is to make your teenage son or daughter pay for the premiums too. In this way, they will understand the significance of having an accident. The good news is you can find affordable bike insurance for a range of makes and models so your child can then pay this added cost and gain an extra safety net while on the road. You can also extend this technique as mentioned in the section below.
Discuss Various Vehicle Costs
If your son or daughter is financially responsible for the motorbike, they will be more likely to ride it in a safe manner. Simply get them to pay for the following and they will be more aware of how they act on the road:
- Petrol
- Tax
- Repairs
Rather than speeding around without a thought to the consequences, the fact that they will have to cover all damages if they have an accident will provide some incentive to remain cautious and dependable whenever they take their bike out.
Talk about Good Riding Habits
Lastly, it’s up to the parent to sit down and discuss some additional advice about how to ride a motorcycle. This may not be legally required however. Rather, you can talk about good riding techniques that will help your child avoid a motorbike accident. These can cover a range of areas some of which may not be obvious to the beginner rider. For your information, we have listed some of the most basic for you below:
- Always wear the right gear
- Don’t ride in a group at first
- Perfect your riding stance
- Eyes on the road and mirror
- Always drive defensively
- Lean in while you are turning
All of these will help your son or daughter avoid collisions and remain more natural while on the road. If you teach them this advice, going over some online videos that display the correct technique, they will have a lower chance of being in an accident later on.
As you can see, it is entirely possible to get your teenager a new motorbike while still playing the role of the concerned parent. Follow this advice and you can provide your son or daughter with their preferred mode of transport while reducing the overall risks at the same time.
Photo credits: en.wikipedia.org
