Should you let your child get a motorcycle?

Your teenager needs transportation. You assumed that meant a car until they told you they wanted a motorcycle. Your first reaction was to recoil in horror and tell them motorcycles are too dangerous. Then they explained the advantages.

A bike will be cheaper to run and maintain, and your child is less likely to turn up late to college as they can cut through traffic better than in a car.

Are motorcycles really more dangerous than cars?

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) figures for 2019 show that you are right to worry about safety. The federal agency’s data showed that motorcyclists were 29 times more likely to die per mile traveled than someone in a car.

While refusing to let your child ride a motorcycle is one solution, they may still buy a one in the future. Riding a motorcycle is not inherently dangerous. It becomes so when one of two things happen:

• You lose control
• Someone else loses control

Florida does not have the ice or snow as some other states do, so the chance of losing control due to a slippery surface is minimal. Provided your child rides within their limits and those of the bike, there is no need for them to come off.

The biggest issue your child will face is other motorists. They are the real reason that motorcycling is more dangerous than driving. If you let your child ride a motorcycle, and a driver injures them, you might feel you should never have agreed. Yet, the world would be a dull place if we all refrained from doing what we wanted for fear of others. Claiming compensation cannot stop you from worrying, but it will pay for the medical bills and additional costs you’ve incurred.