There’s being a cool parent for your kid, and then there’s this – what can only be labeled pure recklessness and stupidity.
A new viral video is making the rounds, and it’s not the kind that makes you go “LOL” to yourself or makes you feel good on a crappy day. It captures the shocking moment a couple of irresponsible parents let their 5-year-old drive a scooter on a busy city street.
To make matters even worse, they’re riding in the back with the kid, as is another, smaller child. To put things even better into perspective: we’re talking about a 5-year-old girl driving a scooter in Kerala, Southern India, with her younger sister, father and mother in the back.
The video was captured by someone from a passing car and posted online, where it caused quite a controversy. By the looks of the 2 adults on the scooter, you can tell this isn’t a first for them. You can also tell that the father is effectively too far from the controls to do anything in case of an accident – or to prevent one.
Reports online say that the traffic department responded to the viral video, alerting the police to track down the owner of the scooter. He was later identified as 38-year-old Shibu Francis and he had his driver’s license suspended for a year by the Regional Transport Office. No word yet if he’s facing further repercussions, but the consensus is that he should.
In most U.S. states and other countries, you can drive a smaller moped and not need a driver’s license. However, whoever operates one must be at least 16 years old, and this is clearly not the case here. For larger mopeds, a motorcycle driver’s license is needed.
Either way, letting a 5-year-old drive a moped down a public, busy street is neither legal nor safe. It’s not even cool or smart parenting, so don’t do it.
To make matters even worse, they’re riding in the back with the kid, as is another, smaller child. To put things even better into perspective: we’re talking about a 5-year-old girl driving a scooter in Kerala, Southern India, with her younger sister, father and mother in the back.
The video was captured by someone from a passing car and posted online, where it caused quite a controversy. By the looks of the 2 adults on the scooter, you can tell this isn’t a first for them. You can also tell that the father is effectively too far from the controls to do anything in case of an accident – or to prevent one.
Reports online say that the traffic department responded to the viral video, alerting the police to track down the owner of the scooter. He was later identified as 38-year-old Shibu Francis and he had his driver’s license suspended for a year by the Regional Transport Office. No word yet if he’s facing further repercussions, but the consensus is that he should.
In most U.S. states and other countries, you can drive a smaller moped and not need a driver’s license. However, whoever operates one must be at least 16 years old, and this is clearly not the case here. For larger mopeds, a motorcycle driver’s license is needed.
Either way, letting a 5-year-old drive a moped down a public, busy street is neither legal nor safe. It’s not even cool or smart parenting, so don’t do it.