Advocacy & Safety - 8 year old given traffic violation ticket

Good morning all,
I saw this article on 1010wins this morning and it really made me think. I'm not sure what the best course of action is or should have been in this instance but I wanted you all to see it and put your 2 cents in. What do you think?

Fla. Boy Gets $34 Traffic Ticket on Bike

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) -- The parents of an 8-year-old boy ticketed by police for violating traffic rules on his bike say they won't pay the $34 citation for a child who is just half the legal driving age.

Second-grader Scott Montgomery has 30 days to pay Manatee County for the ticket written by a Bradenton police officer Wednesday.

"I'm going to not pay this ticket, and Scott's definitely not going to pay it," said Danielle McIntosh, the boy's mother. She added the only money her son has is the allowance he has been saving for a battery-operated miniature truck.

"He's an 8-year-old child. He does not understand what the right of way is," She said.

Scott was riding a bicycle in his neighborhood when he jumped a dirt mound with five of his friends, Bradenton Police Lt. Sam Campbell said. He crossed paths with a 2001 Nissan and the car clipped the rear tire of Scott's 5-pound, 16-inch BMX bicycle.

Scott wasn't injured, but was cited by Officer Jeff Beckley for violating the right of way.

"I'm doing OK," said Scott, who was not wearing a helmet during the accident. "I hit a little bit of his car, but then I just got off my bike and ran away."

McIntosh said the two people in the Nissan claimed Scott flew up onto the hood of their car, causing $1,000 worth of damage. Campbell said that police estimated $500 and could not confirm whether Scott hit the hood.

"His mother was apparently pretty upset with us," Campbell said. "But in this case, the child caused the accident by pulling out in front of the car. The driver didn't have time to react."

Campbell said officers issue citations to many children throughout the year for not wearing helmets or for committing traffic violations on their bicycles. Officers draft the tickets in the child's name but usually expect the parents to pay them.

If no one is cited during an accident, insurance companies will demand that vehicle owners pay for their damages even if they are not at fault. It is a liability as well as a safety issue, Campbell said

If you want to check out the article for yourself, go to:

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BIKE_TICKET?SITE=1010WINS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

5 lb bmx bike? yeah right.

i guess the kid shouldve been cited, given what he s'posedly did. but i dont understand $1000 worth of damage occuring as a result of the accident described. perhaps it was a 1000lb bmx bike, and $5 worth of damage?

-rob

At least he wasn't charged with leaving the scene of an accident. I think the citation is just, he is at fault from what I read in the article and just because you're 8 years old, you're not immune from resposibility and thankfully it could of been worse as it seems the kid wasn't hurt in this.

Would his parents rather pay the persons repair bill, be that $500 or $1000, it's irrelevant, or the $34 ticket? I think the kid got off easy, in my opinion.

Jay

I think that the child should be punished in some way but I also feel that the punishment should be something that the child has to experience. Even if his parents paid the ticket, that's his parents and not him. How about making him do community service of some sort (I'm not talking a thousand hours or anything but how about making him give up a Saturday or Sunday to perform a "safety" geared community service activity. Make the child have to face the consquences of reckless cycling instead of just his parents shelling out a few bucks.

[Heavy sigh]

"He's an 8-year-old child. He does not understand what the right of way is," She said.

If this is true, he's either quite stupid or no one--a parent perhaps--has taught him what it is.

"I'm going to not pay this ticket, and Scott's definitely not going to pay it," said Danielle McIntosh, the boy's mother. She added the only money her son has is the allowance he has been saving for a battery-operated miniature truck.

I don't think Ms. McIntosh realizes that this is a defining moment in her son's character development. There are a number of lessons Scott can learn from this incident. For example, he can learn that his actions have consequences and he is responsible for them. If those consequences harm others, he has a responsibility to make amends, in this case, pay a small fine. Or he can learn that the authorities are out to get him and his mom will stand up for him even though he was wrong. Which do you think he'll take away from this?

[/Heavy sigh]

Given these parenting skills, the kid may not live to be 9. Moreover, if he lives to be 19, and his parents continue to behave this way, he's doomed to be a jerk. We don't need another jerk in today's society - I think we have our quota met.

Unfortunately, this seems to be the rule, and not the exception anymore in regards to parenting. Good job mom! :D

I did something similar as a kid.

I had to pay for the bike, the bumper, was "reprimanded" by my parents (old style) and lived in fear of cars for some time.

Times, they've changed.

Would his parents rather pay the persons repair bill, be that $500 or $1000, it's irrelevant, or the $34 ticket? I think the kid got off easy, in my opinion.

Jay

For real. Who cares about $34, what about damage to the vehicle? (if any)

I must be mean as crap. If the child caused damage to the cars hood, and I understand that's a big if, he is responsible for the cost of repair. If it were my hood I would expect the party responsible to pay the repair cost and not my insurance company. If it were my child I would expect to have to pay the repair cost of the damaged hood.

I agree that the youngster is at a difining point in his character development. Also, how his parents respond/react will speak volumes to him. If it were my daughter, I would pay for it but would require her to pay for it out of her allowance.

It's the parents ultimate responsibility for the safety and well being of their child. If the child doesn't understand the right of way concept, then parents should be held accountable for it.
filarks

There is already an active thread discussing this very topic:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=39803

Consequently, I'm closing this one. Please continue this discussion in the above thread.