The photo of an accident on Bush Road in Tuesday’s paper raised questions. The motorist who exited a parking lot onto the street in front of an e-scooter supposedly did not see the victim coming as he must have been driving at high speed.
It was reported that these small-wheeled bikes can go up to 85 kilometres per hour. If so, they should obviously require a driver’s licence to operate. The latter is actually advisable for any motor vehicle, whether they run on fossil fuels or otherwise.
In the former Netherlands Antilles a licence for mopeds (“bromfietsen”) up to 50cc could be obtained from the age of 16, while people needed to get another one at the age of 18 for motorcycles with bigger engines, just like for cars. This meant all legal motorists had at least demonstrated some skill level and knowledge of traffic rules.
One can’t help wonder to what extent that is still the case, judging from the number of both residents and visitors riding around on all kinds of bikes. Guided tours are one thing, but renting them out without a relevant licence does entail some risk.
Probably regulations haven’t been able to keep up with development such as the advent of all terrain vehicles (ATVs) and utility task vehicles (UTVs). Also known as “quads”, they may have four wheels but are driven very much like motorbikes.
Perhaps a revision and update of pertinent legislation is called for, to help make the public roads a bit safer.
