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- Pit stop: sale of gasoline and motor vehicles to children may be banned in Moscow region
Pit stop: sale of gasoline and motor vehicles to children may be banned in Moscow region
In the Moscow region, a ban on the sale of fuel to minors may be introduced — a corresponding bill has been prepared by the Moscow City Duma. The issue of establishing restrictions on the sale of motorcycles is also being considered. These measures are aimed at combating pit bike accidents driven by children and teenagers. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
At the gas station — with a passport
The sale of fuel to minors may be restricted in the Moscow region. This was announced by Oleg Rozhnov, Deputy Chairman of the Moscow Regional Duma, during a round table discussion on proposals to reduce the number of accidents involving pit bikes. The relevant bill has already been prepared by deputies of the Moscow region parliament, he noted.
— The bill is being submitted for discussion tomorrow. We hope to have time to accept it before the start of the season," said the deputy chairman of the Moscow State Duma.
He noted that the document was prepared taking into account the experience of St. Petersburg, Tatarstan, Chuvashia, Primorsky Krai, Vologda, Kirov regions and a number of other regions where gas station operators have the right to require a customer to present a passport or license if they doubt his age. Oleg Rozhnov recalled that pit bikes are not formally a vehicle, therefore they do not require registration with the State Traffic Inspectorate, and they are also much cheaper than mopeds and motorcycles. However, since this technique has neither mirrors nor lighting devices, it can only be operated on specialized highways — access to public roads is prohibited on it.
— Unfortunately, children and their parents cannot always assess the threats and risks posed by pit bikes. In their conception, they believe that such a technique is the same as a bicycle. As a result, children and teenagers first ride them along paths and suburban areas, and then drive onto roads where accidents occur. The restriction on the sale of fuel to minors is not "prohibition", but protection of the life and health of children, Oleg Rozhnov emphasized.
He also said that the Moscow region parliament would send an appeal to the State Duma with a request to speed up the adoption of a federal law to limit the use of pit bikes by children. The situation in which equipment that accelerates to 120 km/h was freely available, and neither driving skills nor knowledge of traffic regulations were required to purchase it, is unacceptable, the deputy chairman of the Moscow State Duma emphasized.
There are more and more accidents
According to the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Moscow Region, 48 pit bike accidents occurred in the region last year, and 43 of these vehicles were driven by people under the age of 16. Three children died in these accidents and 49 received various injuries. Compared to the year before last, when 33 pit bike accidents were recorded, in which one minor was killed and 37 were injured, there is an increase in both the number of such incidents and the severity of their consequences.
The problem with pit bikes is only getting more acute from year to year, said Police Colonel Vladimir Sevostyanov, Deputy head of the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Moscow Region, during the round table. He said that one pit bike accident has already been recorded in the Moscow region this year.
— The State Traffic Inspectorate, together with the Ministry of Education and the Prosecutor's Office, is actively working with both children and their parents, telling them about the dangers of riding on such equipment. We support the proposal to limit the sale of fuel to minors. We also consider it necessary to establish a list of organizations that can sell such equipment. This will allow them to be monitored and work with them accordingly," said the deputy head of the Moscow region State Traffic Inspectorate.
In addition, according to Vladimir Sevostyanov, it is necessary to differentiate responsibility for parents who allow their children to ride pitbikes and other vehicles. He considers it necessary to single out a separate article in the Administrative Code for parents' failure to comply with the obligation to teach children traffic rules, imposing serious fines for this violation.
The first step
The proposals of the Moscow region deputies are also supported by the Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development of the Moscow Region. According to the head of this department, Marat Sibatulin, the restriction on the sale of fuel to children and adolescents is only the first step.
— In addition to gasoline-powered vehicles, there are also electric pit bikes. Therefore, the next step is to resolve the issue with them," he said.
The introduction of restrictions on the sale of fuel to minors in the Moscow region will also reduce the risks of terrorist acts committed by teenagers, said Ksenia Mishonova, Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Moscow Region. We are talking about cases of arson under the influence of fraudsters and foreign intelligence agencies, she said.
"Since the beginning of the year, four terrorist attacks have occurred in our region involving teenagers who bought fuel at gas stations and set fire to even the very gas station where they were sold fuel," she recalled.
Without interference for sports
The problem of teenagers riding pit bikes through the streets and courtyards certainly needs to be solved, agrees Alexander Shatov, chairman of the Commission for the Development of transport infrastructure and roads of the Moscow Region Civic Chamber. However, we should not forget about the children who legally use this technique in motorcycle sections and motorcycle schools, he stressed.
— It is very important not to discourage children's interest in motorsport with these restrictions. Probably, it is worth considering an option in which the sale of fuel will be possible upon presentation of a certificate or some other document from the motorcycle section or the club in which they are engaged, - Alexander Shatov believes.
Along with the introduction of restrictions, he considers it necessary to identify legal places for riding on such equipment together with municipalities. These may be various quarries or vacant lots where it will be possible to ride pit bikes under the supervision of specialists in compliance with all safety requirements, says a member of the civic chamber of the Moscow region. In addition, during school hours, children need to additionally explain the difference between a bicycle and a pit bike and talk about the dangers that this motorcycle carries, said Alexander Shatov.
Children and teenagers should ride motorcycles not on public roads, but in sports schools, under the guidance of professional instructors, Maxim Krayev, executive director of the Moscow Region Motorcycle Sports Federation, agrees. However, there are clearly not enough such institutions now, he noted.
— There are quite a few facilities on the territory of the region where competitions of regional and All—Russian status can be held, - Maxim Krayev emphasized.
"If they don't buy it, they'll merge it"
Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem magazine, believes that there is some sense in imposing restrictions on the sale of fuel to teenagers. However, he doubts that this measure will radically solve the problem and reduce the number of accidents involving such equipment.
— This will only reduce the number of young pit bikers at the gas stations themselves, but not on the roads. After all, there is always an adult in the company of such teenagers who will legally buy a canister or two of fuel for their younger comrades. If such a "friend" is not around, it means that the teenager will drain the fuel from his dad's car or, even worse, from the tank of someone else's car," Maxim Kadakov believes.
To solve the problem with children on pit bikes, it is necessary first of all to strengthen work with their parents, the editor-in-chief of Za Rulem believes. If adults realize the danger such a technique poses and stop treating it like a "bicycle with a motor," they themselves will not allow their child to ride it on the roads, Maxim Kadakov emphasized.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
