Motorcyclist takes kid on hair-raising ride on expressway
Police are investigating an incident after motorists recorded a man riding a motorcycle on an expressway at speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour with a small, helmet-less child clinging for his life.
The video was recorded yesterday, May 12, on Provincial Highway 68, in Hsinchu County, and drew the ire of viewers after it was uploaded to social media.
The unidentified man, wearing a full-face helmet, is seen riding a heavy motorcycle with a male child around 4 years old clinging to him from the front. As the car with a passenger filming the incident passes the motorcycle, the motorcyclist accelerates, at times taking one hand off the handlebar to reassure the child, or firm his grip.
Police from the Hsinchu Traffic Police Brigade said that the motorcyclist may be liable for several fines that could amount to more than NT$25,000. For carrying a child not wearing a helmet, the fine ranges between NT$600 and NT$1,200. If the child is under 4 years old, it is illegal to be carried on a heavy motorcycle, with a fine of NT3,000. For dangerous driving, the rider is liable to a fine of between NT$6,000 and NT$24,000.
According to the Jing-juan Children’s Safety Education Foundation, close to 7,600 children were injured or killed in traffic accidents in Taiwan in 2017, which is around 20 every day.
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