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Matzav Inbox: Are You Giving Your Child a Deadly Weapon?
by Efraim Mendelson 2026 June 10__________________________________________
DISCLAIMER:I did NOT write this article or any part of it.
I do NOT KNOW who wrote this article.
I just copied it exactly, from the Matzav Inbox.
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Dear Matzav Inbox,I will get straight to the point.
Our neighborhoods have become more dangerous.
We are facing a public safety emergency.
And no, this isn’t about crime, although that’s worrisome too.Not long ago, being on the sidewalk didn’t require constant alertness
for fast-moving vehicles whizzing by. But times have changed.
Today, people of all ages are zooming down sidewalks and streets
on electric scooters and bikes, many with little to no experience operating them.Everyone understands why driving a car has a minimum age
requirement and only comes after training, testing, and licensing.
This ensures competent drivers, safe roads, and adherence to traffic laws.
But when it comes to e-scooters, it is the wild west.
Though sidewalk use is prohibited under New York law,
and there are official speed limits, the regulations are weakly enforced.
This creates a menace to pedestrians and turns our walkways into danger zones.Aside from frequently crashing into pedestrians on sidewalks,
e-scooters pose other hazards as well.
Bumps, potholes, and broken asphalt can all cause loss of control and falls.Even when using designated bike lanes (which are mostly one-way),
riders sometimes travel against traffic.
This can lead to collisions with pedestrians crossing the street
who are not expecting bikes or scooters from the wrong direction.Others leave designated areas and weave through traffic,
endangering both themselves and motorists.Sadly, many adults ride recklessly as well and also get into accidents,
but the risk is greater among children,
who are even less prepared to operate these vehicles safely.Yes, the pressure is real. Your child may beg for that scooter,
insisting that all of his or her friends have one.
But would you give your toddler a knife or allow them to cross the street alone,
even after repeated cries and pleas?This is no different. A parent’s first obligation is safety,
which often requires tough love.
Also, bear in mind that if a child on an e-scooter injures themselves
or someone else (or worse, G-d forbid), the parent who purchased it
or permitted its use bears the ultimate moral responsibility.If your child already has one, you need to ask yourself
some tough questions about their safety and your role in it.If you are an adult who rides on sidewalks or disregards
designated lanes and traffic rules, you need to take a hard look in the mirror.Pikuach Nefesh comes before the entire Torah.
Repeatedly jeopardizing one’s life and the lives of others,
or allowing a child to do so, can lead to devastating consequences,
and calls into question one’s entire Frumkeit.Do not wait for a tragedy to start taking responsibility.
Act now, before an accident leads to a lifetime of regret!The opinions expressed in letters on Matzav.com
do not necessarily reflect the stance of the Matzav Media Network.
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PERSONAL COMMENT:In the 1990s CE, the NYC government passed a law
which prohibits riding bicycles on NYC sidewalks.__________________________________________
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/matzav-inbox-the-ache-of-the-empty-seat
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/matzav-inbox-a-nation-in-deep-crisis
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/matzav-inbox-when-the-farher-system-forgets-the-boys
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Yasher koach to Mr Schwartz.
I talked to an emergency surgeon recently. His most frequent customers are those who ride bikes and escooters.The writer made it seem like E-bikes and E- scooters are the same dangerous, there are huge differences between e-scooters and e-bikes.
1. E- scooters have tiny wheels then can make you flip over after going over any small pothole or crevice whereas E-bikes wheels are way bigger and most of the time you will just go smoothly over it
2. Since you are standing on a E-scooter it is much harder to maintain your balance, and in the event of a fall it will result in a much greater injury because of the position
3.Scooters are significantly lower to the ground than E-bikes which makes them much harder to be seen than E-bikes.I think that E-bikes are only dangerous if you give them to a irresponsible kid who goes on the side of the road or the sidewalk, but if you give them to a smart responsible kid who follows traffic laws and goes in middle of the road then it is relatively safe (especially if he needs it to get around).
I think that the middle of the road is the safest option because if you go on the sidewalk you have a big risk of hitting pedestrians and falling off from unexpected, crazy bumps in sidewalk, and if you go on the side of the road you have a big risk of cars turning into you. They don’t expect bikes to be whizzing past them when they are trying to turn.charidy, this is like saying eating camel is better than eating pork. Yes, one is more dangerous than the other but both are dangerous.
The accidents I hear about sound very avoidable. So I wonder what ages are involved, what speed, and would normal rules help?
All of these are dangerous. It is widely recognized that drivers in NY and a few other areas around us, are aggressive drivers. The dangers involved on the road are not mitigated by lowering speed limits, nor are there reliable statistics that correlate lower limits with lives saved. But we at least recognize that cars are potentially weapons that can weigh a ton.
The vehicles whizzing down the sidewalks constitute a disaster waiting to happen. It is only recently that some such accidents were covered by the media. Nowhere to be heard are the many, many near misses. This includes all forms of bikes, motorized or not, and the various kinds of scooters and wagons. We might appreciate the speed at which deliveries can be made from pharmacies, fish stores, butchers, groceries, etc. But they just bring the aggressive driving patterns onto the areas where pedestrians go. I have personally witnessed quite a few accidents of pedestrians being knocked over, some with significant injury. Sending these vehicles into the street is not any safer. It is commonplace that a driver will not see bikes coming up behind from either side, and tragedies are simply waiting to happen.
I believe that legislation needs to control all motorized vehicles, scooters, bikes, and require some standard in order to be able to use them (license, etc.) There should be a requirement to have insurance. And there should be pedestrian zones that are free from such traffic. Just putting helmets on kids riding these is not enough to prevent injury to others. These are deadly weapons. I hope action is taken before a fatality.
charidy said – “I think that E-bikes are only dangerous if you give them to a irresponsible kid who goes on the side of the road or the sidewalk, but if you give them to a smart responsible kid who follows traffic laws and goes in middle of the road then it is relatively safe (especially if he needs it to get around).”
How exactly do you define “smart responsible kid”? Maybe with age restrictions and licensing requirements… Here in Israel any motorized anything is illegal under 16. Some other countries require licenses. I am aware of a number of Kehillos that prohibited them altogether. Also, what exactly do you mean by “especially if he needs it to get around”? How did children “get around” before someone decided that they can drive motor vehicles on their own?
Maybe, the problem is the underlying attitude – children are entitled to get to cheder quickly, and parents are entitled to not be bothered with that.
So, no walking, public transportation or driving. Thus, they HAVE TO use e-bike! Maybe I am from “we walked up the hill both ways” generation…By the way, I highly recommend to father to drive kids to schools – a rare moment where you have them all restrained (hopefully) and you have uninterrupted time to talk to them some exciting ideas about learning or your family history or any other bonding discussion.
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