An Accident Looking for a Place to Happen

[Abbott Racing]

This past weekend I had the displeasure of watching an accident looking for a place to happen. Kids (with no helmets) racing thru the pits, popping wheelies, and zig zagging among the motorhomes in the camping area on mini motocross bikes. The scariest of all was seeing one bike with the young driver with no helmet, and an even smaller tot on the gas tank (no helmet)zooming around.

If I am not mistaken but there is a section in our insurance that does not allow for this activity in the pits unless indicated. I know they are kids and it's fun etc... but the moment one of them has an accident what is the insurance going to say or do? I stopped one of them as he narrowly missed the side of my motorhome during a failed wheelie atempt, but for the rest of us why do we let this go on?

Not sure who the kids were other than someone told me they both race, so if I am the bad guy for posting this then so be it, but the first time one of them wipe out with no helmet, and heaven forbid that they take someone else out with them, it will no longer be fun................

[Jeff Brewster 59s]

Very good post!!!

Better question yet.....Where were the parents???????

[bill boyes]

You need a drivers license in Calif to ride one. We also state on the Sanction and announce at the drivers meeting.
Razor Scooters are a danger also.

[lojo1013]

Thanks for the info guys, I will be sure to add that to our sanction next year.

Lori

[racerchic3z]

I can claim one of the boys riding on the motorcycle. It was my son Dylan Runne. If you were so concerned you should have seeked us out. Everyone knows my husband and my son. You saw where the motorcycle was parked you should have come over to us and told us about your concern. If Dylan was told not to ride his motorcycle by the race committee he would have parked it. If they were reckless,I apologize. I do not want to see my son or anyone else get hurt. Please the next time you see an accident waiting to happen seek out the parents. And Jeff as far as your comment about where are the parents. WE WERE THERE!!!! Dylan doesn't go unsurpervised.

Sheri Runne

[Dew1us]

I'll even state that Dylans parents were there and even told him to put a helmet on after they had saw when he started. If we are concerened with the kids wearing helmets then it needs to be brought to the parents attention at the race site instead of waiting and putting it on a public forum. By saying "where are the parents?" I can probably tell you where they were. They were most likely setting up boats, involved with crewing for the race, out on patrol boat duties, on the judges stand or doing something else for the race event. Heck I'm not going to be one of the ones saying I didn't do anything bad at a boat race as a kid once I got to a race site. Hell my parents to this day state how I would jump out of the van once we got to the race site and not see me till either we were leaving or the races were over for the day. They always said that they were not worried with me around since they thought everyone at the boat race was their family. So come on bring this kinda of stuff up at the right times and not on websites where it shows that boat racers don't care what happens at a race site and wants to make a conflict on a website.

I respect you Bob but I do not think this was the right place to state such an event..

Craig Furnal

[STEVE FRENCH]

There was a similar situation that DID go bad for a young (?) Fell'a on a Scooter at Lock Haven last year............

(I think the judges gave him a 8.8, 9.0, 9.5, 9.9, for form/style................. )

Luckally, this site is among friends.............. ....How old was that tumble weed?

19P

[FE04]

accidents

A few of these topics turned up after our regattas here in Almonte; so I think we do have to be a little safer in the pits. Smoking near gas, little kids and sharp props, shoes..

Maybe do fence the area with enough room so family, pit crew can still mix and have an exit you can supervise. We know the hazards and could kinda police ourselves in the name of safety.

Randy Dodd

[ian]

Ummm..... yea...... scooters can be spooky..... Actually, I think John Runne threw down some sand.....

[Abbott Racing]

Ok, I want to clarify something......I didn't mention race site, I didn't mention names I only mentioned a concern. Yes there was a kid on a blue bike with a helmet and a kid on a red bike with out. Both bikes did a couple of bonzai runs between the motor homes.

This is an open forum and I think it is a spot to bring an item like this up. Craig I respect your opinion but read my note again. I did nothing disrespectful, no shots at parents etc.... I simply stated a concern.

So if people took offence to what I wrote, that was not the intent, it was simply to raise a concern before someone gets hurt or a race club gets sued...

[Gordie Miller]

The first step

in solving the lawsuit issue, which will have many beneficial side effects in all of society, "FIRST, we kill ALL the attorneys". OK, let the floggings begin.

[Richard K.C. Mo.]

It Takes A Village???

Ok, I want to clarify something......I didn't mention race site, I didn't mention names I only mentioned a concern. Yes there was a kid on a blue bike with a helmet and a kid on a red bike with out. Both bikes did a couple of bonzai runs between the motor homes.

This is an open forum and I think it is a spot to bring an item like this up. Craig I respect your opinion but read my note again. I did nothing disrespectful, no shots at parents etc.... I simply stated a concern.

So if people took offence to what I wrote, that was not the intent, it was simply to raise a concern before someone gets hurt or a race club gets sued...

Bob, i'm with you, actually it doesn't take a village only a parent that's in charge.
I have been to many races as a spectator haven't raced yet and as a whole boat racers are a pretty controlled crowd. ( till after 6.00 i mean)
The younger gen. are all inclined to take as much as they can get, they require constant monitoring especially after they learn to tie thier own shoes.

I say lets vote on who offends most, Red or Blue.
Spare the Rod!!!!
RichardKCMo

[csh12M]

Kudos

I am going to stand up for Bob on this one. He did not call anyone out, mention any names, or point any fingers. He just stated a problem that he saw. I actually saw the exact same thing go on at our race at Grass Lake. Totally different people, but young racer kids, riding in what I thought was reckless manor in and around the pits. I did not say anything because I was scared I would be viewed as an overprotective hard ass. Now that I see that other people have viewed a similar scene the same way I will be more likely to approach the parents.

I say kudos to Bob for brining up the situation the way he did. Not pointing out any offenders only pointing out a potential problem that we all should all be helping to avoid in the future.

Just my thoughts,

Dean

[Howie Nichols]

I'd have to agree with Bob as well. At my daughter's first race this year someone tried to tell me I was pushing her to hard, I jumped on him...now I see he was only trying to help. In hindsight we only had motor troubles she was very anxious to keep trying yet scared at the same time.

Thanks to whoever that was for trying to make me see something that could have been dangerous and potential hurt my pride and joy.

If nothing else maybe it will just open our eyes as parents, make us stop and think about what actions we need to take to make sure we and our children, even our peers are safe off the race course as well.

[Tomtall]

Take a deep breath guys!

This is for those born 1920-1979!

TO ALL THE KIDS

WHO SURVIVED the1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we
rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats,seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and < /P>NO ONE actually died from this.We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank lemonademade with sugar, but we weren't overweight because .WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were backwhen the streetlights came on.No one was able to reach us all day.And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down
the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video gamesat all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's,no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and foundthem!We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no
lawsuits from these accidents.We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,

made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang
the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.They actually sided with the law!These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learnedHOW TO
DEAL WITH IT ALL!If YOU are one of them . . .CONGRATULATIONS!You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as
kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our livesfor our own good.And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!