The 60mph toys that could kill
THEY are the must-have toys on hundreds of childrens’ Christmas wish lists.
But if their parents choose to buy them a mini-motorbike, they could be risking their lives, experts warn.
The scaled- down replica racing bikes – which are designed to be ridden by children as young as six – are capable of reaching speeds of up to 60mph.
Last night the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents urged parents to ensure their youngsters are properly trained and have somewhere safe to ride before they get one of the machines. A child’s replica 50cc Honda offroader costs around £ 500, but cheap Chinese imports – also known as ‘ minimotos’ or pocket bikes – are driving the prices down to as little as £150.
Sales of the two- wheelers are running at around 500 a week.
At least four youngsters have been killed while riding minimotorbikes and scores injured over the past 18 months, according to RoSPA.
In September last year, six-yearold Keiran Hancock was killed when he lost control of his 50cc Honda QR while being chased by a dog. He crashed into a pavilion on a playing field near his home in Radcliffe- on- Trent, Nottinghamshire, and died. He was wearing a helmet and goggles and his father was with him at the time. A month earlier, eight-year- old Kalum McGowan was seriously injured when he crashed into a wall on a 47cc mini-motorbike in Blackpool.
Peter Cornall, RoSPA’s head of water and leisure safety, said: ‘There is a big demand for minimotorbikes, quad bikes and powered scooters from children.
‘ Parents may be buying them without fully understanding the implications. Children may tell parents they will push the bike to a chosen riding spot, but invariably once away from supervision they will ride them there.’