On Facebook, after the death of two 13-year-old girls riding a rented scooter from Ride Mobility under the wheels of a train at a crossing in Imanta, discussions have erupted regarding teenagers' and schoolchildren's knowledge of traffic rules. Do your children know the rules?
"Good evening. I really want to share an observation. I often see children running from school to the tram, breaking the rules. They run across the road on a red light, jumping over the metal fence that separates the road from the tram tracks. Another group of children walks, staring at their phones, ignoring the traffic lights. This could be your child! And then we wonder why an accident happened. I want to warn parents. They need to convey to their children that they are not immortal like in video games!" - wrote Riga resident Kristina B. in the Kengarags community on Facebook.
"Yes, students from the 25th school in Riga run to the Rimi store. It seems like a competition to see who can run in front of a car better - I've seen this several times," - shared Inna.
"Children must be taught traffic rules at home and in school. This is no joke: everyone now has video games on their phones, gaming consoles, and any computer. They really create the illusion that life can be restarted, fixed, saved, and started over. Impunity leads to tragedies. Today, children are taught everything but traffic rules - if you don't believe it, just watch how children ride rented scooters and mopeds in Riga; it's terrible, they constantly risk both their health and lives, as well as the health of others," - wrote Maris.
"We live in times of technological advancement and human brain degradation. Today, adults in Riga also often cross on red, setting an example for children. Some even take their children in strollers and by hand across the red traffic signal, and then wonder why children do the same," - shared her observations Inara.
"I studied in school in the 90s. In the third grade, we were tested on traffic rules, and those who passed were given bicycle licenses. And what about today? What are children being taught, and are they being taught at all? Amid hysterical cries about language issues, we are losing the health and lives of children. Is it good to swing to extremes and forget about real life? Extremes lead to nothing good. Children must know the rules of behavior on the streets and roads, especially when a minor child can easily take an electric scooter or moped," - noted Janis.
"Yes, today people argue about anything: high prices in stores, inflation, Putin. About language. But not about the health and safety of their own children. My children know the traffic rules, and I am calm about them," - shared Anna-Maria.
"Modern parents think that the school owes them something. And they themselves owe nothing," - noted Alex.
"Parents need to understand that they have a great responsibility for their children's health. Life is not a gaming console," - believes Elena.
On the public initiative portal Manabalss.lv, a petition has been started to allow only individuals aged 18 and over to use rented scooters and mopeds.
