Legal age for pillions in NZ?

[superjackal]

Coolest kid in school riding a motorbike home from school prize giving.

She was 8.

Ha ha, yeah, my daughter runs around telling everyone "My dad rides a motorbike, my dad rides a motorbike!". Amazing it's not more popular, I'm the only parent picking up kid with a bike at ther school.

In my case I'm breaking several laws. Restricted licence (no pillion), she's not wearing a helmet, riding on the pavement. But if I can't idle home at 2mph like that making my kid happy, well, I'm just a radical, free-thinking, stick-it-to-the-man, bad boy, irresponsible biker then. My neighbour's a cop with a kid at the same school and he couldn't care less.

At some stage common sense has to prevail. I'd never do anything to endanger my kids.

[russd7]

On the other hand I've never taken my own kids on my bikes because I didn't want to lose them due to my own or some other persons stupidity.

I read a lot into how people want their kids to ride on the back for "their" reasons,,,,but their reasons never have anything to do with the kids welfare in mind.

Mind you,I don't actually see many people that are stupid enough to do that to their own off spring apart from a few KB fools that are mostly talk anyway,,,,and my old man.

so im guessing you buy bubble wrap by the roll and keep your kids inside and not let them go in a car or near any public.
but you are obviously very irresponsible indeed, you ride one of those dangerous things that will kill you and leave your poor children without a father.

[Theantidote]

so im guessing you buy bubble wrap by the roll and keep your kids inside and not let them go in a car or near any public.
but you are obviously very irresponsible indeed, you ride one of those dangerous things that will kill you and leave your poor children without a father.

now you just ruined it for the rest of us dude...reminding me that i'm a dick with a death wish plus wanting to spend a bit of time with my boy at the same time....fuck now i have to find a new hobby...thanks man

[Floppy disk]

now you just ruined it for the rest of us dude...reminding me that i'm a dick with a death wish plus wanting to spend a bit of time with my boy at the same time....fuck now i have to find a new hobby...thanks man

Me too .. I got a bike for sale folks!

[nerrrd]

Saw this on my commute today: well-dressed gentleman on his scooter with what looked (to me, but I ain't no expert) like a 3 or 4 year old kid on the back. Kid was squirming around, but that didn't matter too much 'cos the rider had strapped him on by means of a belt conveniently running around both waists. Kid didn't look to have anywhere to put his feet, rider was squishing the one on my side in under his leg. Kid had a helmet on.

Wouldn't want to stereotype BUT probably the sort of thing you see every day in most Asian cities. Didn't sit comfortably with me though, not that I cared enough to do anything about it then and there.

Since thinking is so important, however, I though I'd see what other people thought about this, with a view to maybe doing something about it if I see him again (i.e. reporting it to the Po-liss.) Hate to think what would happen to the kid in an off.

[AllanB]

Took my almost 12 year old son out for a hoon a couple weeks back.......converted him!

[Berries]

Probably a dwarf. I'd mind my own business.

[tigertim20]

this thread has already been done once or twice before.
general consensus IIRC was as long as pillions feet touch the pegs, then its all good.

[nerrrd]

this thread has already been done once or twice before.
general consensus IIRC was as long as pillions feet touch the pegs, then its all good.

Yeah I think I knew that was the legal requirement, wondering more about the moral (?) side of things - If there were any pegs (it was a scooter) the kid's feet were nowhere near them.

[nerrrd]

Never mind then. All good info I'm sure.

[bikerannie]

I want to take my son as pillion eventually when he's big enough. But what's the legal age/size you can take as pillion??

[unstuck]

I want to take my son as pillion eventually when he's big enough. But what's the legal age/size you can take as pillion??

Interesting question. My kids have always been taken for short rides with me, never considered the legality of it before.

[FJRider]

As I understand ... there is no set legal age.

But ...

They must have a correctly fitting helmet ... and (I think) their feet must reach the foot pegs.

At the end of the day ... it boils down to parental responsibility.

[pritch]

. and (I think) their feet must reach the foot pegs.

Yeah that was what came to mind. Not quite sure about the word "reach" though, they should be able to keep their feet on the pegs.

I sometimes see a couple of guys who take their daughters on rides, the girls would be aged ten or thereabout and that seems about right.

[rastuscat]

Law says nil about age. Law says it's against the rules to ride in a dangerous position.

I reckon it'd be fairly easy to convince a judge that it's not safe to ride pillion on a bike where you can't control your own weight via contact with the foot pegs.

I don't see this very often. Possibly common sense is still holding the fort. Surely we shouldn't just do domething because there's no law against it. Sometimes we don't to things because it's a good idea not to.