Motorised bicycles: protection needed
It is rather strange how important some people think they are: Even though a subject is left very open for discussion, you will find someone who takes it very personally. (Car Drivers And Motorised Bicycles, Romano Cassar, June 11).
My answer to Mr Cassar is that yes, I am a driver and secondly I do not use a bicycle. But the roads are used by many besides cars and bicycles. Much more important than these is a human being on foot: the pedestrian. If while driving the motorised bicycle one hits a car one could just scratch it (it could be worse even for the car but let's leave it at that).
On the other hand if one hits a pedestrian, who could be a child, an old person, a pregnant woman, etc. things might turn out to be quite different, as I hope Mr Cassar can imagine.
That's why I asked about insurance. And that's why I mentioned the need for an identification number plate. Furthermore, I have seen under aged youths (younger than 18) driving these motorised bicycles on the wrong side of the road, two abreast, without any lights at night so that they would create a moving obstacle to other road users. And what about the use of proper clothing so that in case of an accident the cyclist will have a better chance of surviving with minor injuries? And this goes both for those driving motorised bicycles and pedal powered ones; they need to wear crash helmets, elbow and knee protection, luminous jackets.
You see Mr Cassar, even though I am a car driver, I do care about you bicycle owners especially those who go by the rules in the book.
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adrian muscat
Jun 20th 2008, 12:37
Unfortunately a lot of Maltese parents think of a bicycle simply as a toy and they do not teach their kids its proper use on the roads. Parents also discourage the use of the bicycle as a commuting tool. Unfortunately even adults cycle two abreast on roads. The problem is not simply with motorised bicycles, but with human powered ones as well. We need policies that encourage the safe use of bicycles.