A tragedy occurred in Riga: two 13-year-old girls on a scooter from SIA "Ride" (Ride Mobility) - which after the death of the teenagers and media uproar chose to ignore the PTAC requirements and continued to rent scooters, - were killed at a crossing in Imanta under the wheels of a train.
Why can minors so easily rent a scooter and ride it anywhere without even having a license, using someone else's credit card, and not knowing the traffic rules? Who will be held accountable in the event of a catastrophe? This is what residents of Latvia are debating on social media:
"People! My son is 25 years old. He lives in the UK. Last year he was in Riga. He was surprised that in Latvia it is so easy to rent a scooter or an electric scooter - there are formal requirements, as these companies primarily make money off underage teenagers, who are the main users of this transport. So, we discussed this tragedy yesterday. He said that in the UK it is very strict: minors have NO CHANCE of creating a fake account and deceiving the system," shared Maria.
"In Riga, anyone can take a scooter or an electric scooter even without knowing the traffic rules: riding on the sidewalk, scaring pedestrians. They ride on the road with cars, then return to the sidewalk - it's a real ride without rules. And no one checks. The police do not see this, do not fine. The rental company also makes money off teenagers; they won't fight against their profits, will they? How many people, ordinary pedestrians, end up in hospitals when they are hit by such a teenager on a scooter or an electric scooter, not to mention the 'drivers' who ride without helmets, without licenses, as they please - this is the result," wrote Janis.
"Of course, it's sad for the children, but shouldn't we first discuss traffic rules in schools and with parents?! I live near a school and see how students ride bicycles, scooters, rollerblades, and mopeds to school and back — on the roadway on one wheel, two on a scooter, leading a bicycle while looking at their phone, or just competing to see who can go faster or jump higher on a bicycle/scooter... Someone can run out from any side or something can come out — and it takes very little for another tragedy to happen! And you don't need a train if you can suddenly appear on a scooter in the middle of an intersection right in front of a car..." expressed Dinars.
"Parents of these teenagers also don't care where their children ride, at what speed. Often they even help set up illegal accounts using their rights and credit cards, while the teenager using it doesn't even know the traffic rules. In the event of a tragedy, parents cry bitter tears, and the public goes into a frenzy - how could this happen? It's just terrible when people believe in pink unicorns and fairy tales, not realizing that in the real world you need to know the traffic rules and strictly follow them," believes Maris.
"In schools, we should not teach various useless nonsense, but first and foremost traffic rules, to lay a foundation in children that will greatly help them in their future lives, to live safely and not put people around them at risk," thinks Alex.
"Parents, do you know how and where your 12-13 year old children are walking? The tragedy happened between two large residential areas. And the girls were riding from one to the other. Isn't that too far from home at that age, especially alone?" asks Arnis.
"Scooters, electric scooters, headphones - and then 'suddenly'... No driving rules, no rules at all. According to the rules, you need to look both ways and this is a CROSSING, not a crossing = you have to get off the transport and cross it," wrote Andrey.
"So wait. The fact that two girls were both riding on one scooter didn't bother anyone? And that 12-13 year old children can ride them, doesn't bother anyone?" asks Vasily.
"This rental company did not suspend operations after the ban - but continued to operate and rent scooters and electric scooters - money does not smell of blood for them. They are now threatened with a fine after the media uproar. Complete madness," pointed out Andris.
"Many commentators find it hard to understand that the problem is not with the transport, but with the people. There are laws and rules for the operation of transport, compliance with which minimizes risks. If a person does not follow the operating rules, they endanger their safety and the safety of others, and thus can be held accountable. If parents have not explained to their children how to properly use scooters, it is an obvious fault of the parents, not just the scooters. In this particular case, unfortunately, the rules of use were violated multiple times," believes Vilis.
"If people do not understand how to handle rental transport, then it should be banned. We lived without it before," wrote Mara.
"What are we doing with our children and what are we teaching them, as the adult generation, if they do not notice a train???? How inattentive are our children to not see and hear a moving multi-ton machine..." shared Vika.
"A railway crossing is a high-risk area, stop and wait until the barrier is raised, only then can you proceed," expressed Evgeny.
"In this situation, I feel EXCLUSIVELY sorry for the train driver. He is the only one who could not prevent this tragedy and will live with it for the rest of his life!!! I wish the driver not to go insane, to continue working, he is not to blame! A tragic coincidence," wrote Cleopatra.
"Don't look at your phones and don't wear headphones when you're outside - talk to your children. This is already like a disease, and not just among teenagers," emphasized Zhanna.
Let us remind you that on the public initiatives portal "Manabalss.lv" a petition has been started to allow only individuals aged 18 and over to use rented electric scooters.
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