The State Duma proposed to ban pit bikes for minors

The leader of the Fair Russia – For Truth (SRRP) faction, Sergei Mironov, will send an appeal to the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin (a copy of the letter is available to Izvestia) with a proposal to introduce a ban on the operation of pit bikes on public roads in traffic regulations and to provide penalties for adults for transferring pit bikes to children in the Administrative Code. Mironov told Izvestia about this on June 18.

The leader of the SRZP also proposed instructing the Federal Customs Service to assess the legality of importing motorcycles according to HS codes related to sports equipment, assess the volume of such imports, including over the past years, and add an unpaid recycling fee.

"These off-road mini-motorcycles can now be driven from the age of five. Moreover, many models are aimed specifically at children. The price is affordable — from 30 thousand. The equipment is exclusively imported, but it is supplied duty-free as a sports equipment. A safety certificate, a vehicle passport, registration with the traffic police — you don't need all this, you don't have to pay transport tax, and you don't have to collect scrap either. Complete freedom!"— said Mironov to Izvestia.

In addition, in an appeal to the government, the parliamentarian proposed instructing Rosstandart to evaluate which category of vehicles motorcycles (Ataki, Apollo, BSE, Kayo, Koshine, Kove, Motoland, Promax, PWR Racing, Racer and others) sold as bicycles or sports equipment should belong to the Russian market, and designate the need for their certification.

Mironov noted that the engine capacity of a pit bike can reach 320 cubic meters. The power is 50 hp, which is higher than that of many motorcycle models, which require a category A driver's license to drive. The deputy stressed that sellers declare the use of pit bikes for sports off public roads, but in fact children ride them anywhere, including in large cities. The lack of restrictions leads to the fact that accidents and deaths in pit bike accidents are growing at a high rate, he said.

Thus, according to the data of the Research Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, in the first nine months of 2024, the number of accidents involving child drivers of motor vehicles increased by 38.4%, the number of children killed in them - by 23.9%, and the injured — by 39.8%. In more than three quarters (76.9%) of accidents involving child drivers of motor vehicles, they were driving motor vehicles: 1,769 (+33.1%) such accidents occurred, in which 44 (+18.9%) children were killed and 1,752 (+34.9%) were injured.

"In this regard, I propose to introduce a ban on the operation of pit bikes on public roads in the traffic regulations, and to provide penalties for adults for handing pit bikes to children in the Administrative Code. In addition, Rosstandart should finally make it clear that such vehicles are motorcycles and can only be operated after registration and obtaining a driver's license. In the meantime, we will not restore proper order here, we will lose children because of these clunkers," concluded Mironov.

Anton Shaparin, Vice President of the National Automobile Union (NAS), called the initiative of the SRWP leader more than timely.

"Statistics show that accidents and deaths are increasing at an alarming rate because of this. Children ride these motorcycles everywhere, including in big cities. They even organize parades of such equipment, traffic regulations do not exist for them. It is necessary to clearly indicate that such equipment is motorcycles, and it can be operated only after registration and obtaining a driver's license," Shaparin told Izvestia.

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The day before, the chairman of the State Duma Committee on Youth Policy, Artyom Metelev, proposed introducing additional conditions for the sale of pit bikes to minors. The deputy stated the need to eliminate a gap in the legislation and allow pit bikes to be sold only if there is a document on training in a sports organization where such sports equipment can be safely used.