Parents on scooters wearing helmets, their children not

Well there are MRTs buses and taxis. I still rule taxis out really although admittedly I have used them from time to time only when they have seatbelts for the use of.

So the helmet law was passed in 1997. The cities seem to enforce this law for the adults. The small towns i have been to don’t enforce anything, let alone the helmet law. Law enforcement and education are needed to bring a change, sadly it may take a few real tragedies to open peoples’ eyes. The whole driving system needs to be overhauled. Perhaps a public awareness campaign spread across television sets would get results. The government will certainly not be proactive and will need to be pressured by the people to make a move on this issue. A few pics for you all

http://www.therealtaiwan.com/children-sleeping-on-scooters/1035

And just think. If you’d written that the first time I saw it, you would have had to submit it to a newspaper if you wanted to see it in print.
People were writing letters like yours to the editor when I came here 20 years ago. Plenty of real tragedies since then, but the Taiwanese eyes are still screwed tight shut.

Probably has something to do with the prevalent fatalistic outlook on life here, as well as whatever materialistic issues there may be. Mei ban fa, and all that. Accept your fate in the great scheme of things.

They spend all that money on buxibans to cram those heads full of god-knows-what, only to have it ooze onto the asphalt, never to be recovered… :loco:

This being Taiwan, I don’t think safety is even considered by many parents. There is also the money thing, but helmets are cheap enough. I think it’s an issue of convenience. If you have several offspring riding with you on the scooter (heaven forbid), they either have to take the helmets with them, which would result in copious whining, or the parents have to carry the helmets on the scooter after the kids take them off. It’s all about convenience; if your scooter leg-space and boot are full of little helmets, where are you going to put the dinner and the chickens and the schoolbags?

I’m a teacher, and I often “go off” on the parents of my students. Oddly, they listen, and the kids wear helmets for the next month or so, at least to school. Then I repeat the process. I had one parent try the, “Don’t tell me how to raise my child” argument, and I stated the above point about the oozing brains. His kids got helmets, too. I also use diatribes in class and have been known to show gory photographs of accidents and talk about how the accidents affect the victims not wearing helmets :blush: . For the most part, the kids agree. The kids tell the parents, and they get helmets so that the parents won’t lose face (or just to shut the kids up). For the next few days after such diatribes, I make a point of shaking my head sadly when i see a kid without a helmet. Most parents at least have the grace to look away. The same goes for seatbelts in cars…

That’s how I feel, but I can afford a car.

You are doing the right thing here, because, although you are a foreigner, as a teacher you really have some influence on your students and their parents. At least, much more than any “busybody” talking to them at a red light. Teachers in general are respected and their advice is followed. Also, you see them on a regular basis, so they cannot ignore you.

Good God, does nobody in this thread have any sense of proportion? You’re showing pictures of gore and horror to children? You’re lucky I’m not one of your customers. I’d be out the door with my kids and dollars so fast, it would make your head spin, but before I left I’d make sure every parent of every kid knew what you were doing. I’d consider a lawsuit as well.

Kids don’t need to see that stuff, they’ve got enough to deal with. And even if kids did “need” to see gore and blood slop, they should probably be with their parents, not their part-time foreign buxiban teacher. Stick to teaching them English!

[quote=“Maoman”]
Kids don’t need to see that stuff, they’ve got enough to deal with. And even if kids did “need” to see gore and blood slop, they should probably be with their parents, not their part-time foreign buxiban teacher. Stick to teaching them English![/quote]
Agreed.

Maoman’s just feeling a little bit guilty. He’s been street luging down his hill with Trudi again. You really should get that child some proper leathers, you irresponsible bastard.

Seriously though, I have to agree with him – if I found that my kid’s part time English teacher had been doing stuff like that I’d have my kid out of his class and depending on the reaction of the kid’s boss, out of the school faster than you could say “stick to playing with your sticky balls, bud.”

If you really feel that strongly about the issue, then volunteer as a school crossing guard or something, where your opinions would be less out of place. Although losing the bloody photos would still be a good idea.

[quote=“naijeru”][quote=“Maoman”]
Kids don’t need to see that stuff, they’ve got enough to deal with. And even if kids did “need” to see gore and blood slop, they should probably be with their parents, not their part-time foreign buxiban teacher. Stick to teaching them English![/quote]
Agreed.[/quote]

Disagreed.
Not that I would go that far though. I would rather upset a few people though than have them buggering about all over the road with their kids on board. To me their safety is more important than their far removed sense of reality. Just the same as people far removed when they pick up meat in a supermarket tray, thinking of it as nothing more different than purchasing vegetables. Educate people I say, and stop this fairytale nonsenseland that so many of us live in.
I educate my son whenever I can in reality, cause and effect. He’s still cute, fun loving and such. He’s far less naive than some other kids his own age though. I don’t think proper education spoils children. I think sheltering them from reality breeds ignorance. I’m not saying we should make kids cry or damage their souls, but its adults who have a problem with ‘grim’ images. Properly educated children learn cause and effect of improper road use much the same as they learn anything else. Having a strong foundation allows them to adapt better to real life and appreciate much more. Who knows, this way, when they reach an older age and go supermarket shopping, they may understand better where their meat comes from.

I went to cubs and scouts when I was a kid. We killed rabbits, gutted them and cooked them. I as many others did grew up around farms, deer hunters , chopped off heads of animals. Some people may shudder to think of the images I saw as a child, but those are the same people that will probably go hungry when we run out of oil. Just the same way as those that get killed or kill others when on the road. Ignorance of reality.

So it would be ok with you that the cashier at Sogo lectured your son about the perils of right wing ideology?

The guy should do his job. “Going off” on a bunch of kids whose parents pay for English education? GTFOOH

If he thinks it’s such a big deal, talk to the school’s owner and make a sign in the classroom. Showing gore in class? WTF does that have to do with A-A apple?

You lucky bastard. We got tying stupid knots and building fires in old biscuit tins up trees.

And you’re right about the rest, too. But Maoman and Surly are right, too. This teaching should NOT come from some 22-year-old who I’m paying to entertain my kids, any more than his political bias should be instilled by the girl behind the cosmetics counter.

[quote=“Surly”]So it would be ok with you that the cashier at Sogo lectured your son about the perils of right wing ideology?

The guy should do his job. “Going off” on a bunch of kids whose parents pay for English education? GTFOOH

If he thinks it’s such a big deal, talk to the school’s owner and make a sign in the classroom. Showing gore in class? WTF does that have to do with A-A apple?[/quote]

Right wing ideology doesn’t teach my kids how to feed themselves or how to stay safe, so it isn’t as important at his age (4). Edit: He does need to know though that all different people have all different ideas when it comes to choices and beliefs. That much he can appreciate and learn to respect. Both left and right wing ideologists die on the road though.

He should address the class in an appropriate manner however and so as I said, I wouldn’t choose to do exactly as he has done the way he describes it. I personally have had enormous success in the past educating kids on the road, life skills, teamwork, manners and all kinds of things not enforced in local education with full consent of the parents. I’ve even lectured my school’s parents on their misguided approach to education, putting English before more important life lessons and the response I got was even more enquirers and parents wishing to enroll kids into my class. At one point I had the entire grade 2 year’s parents wishing to put all the kids in my class. I teach life skills and reality first, English second. Its simply amazing though how you can take the least interested kid in an English class and see them out perform everyone else simply because you capture their attention with all kinds of muted subjects that aren’t taught in school. If one thinks as English education as so one dimensional involving simply hide and seek, crayons, glue, and picture books, then society is never going to progress at any great speed.
Sometimes you’ll be surprised at what levels of understanding children can grasp if you try. They aren’t as stupid as most people think.

It’s all about the right time and place. English classes are definitely not the place to show pictures of gore, but there is nothing wrong with teaching children sentences like: “I wear a helmet because it is safer. I don’t want to get hurt in an accident.” or asking “Where is your helmet, Peter?”

There is nothing wrong with reminding parents that they should give their children helmets when encountering them outside the school.

Then you’re an exception. I would estimate that given what I see of probably 90% of the buxiban teachers here, they’re the LAST people I would want teaching my child “life skills.”
It would be like having Almas John giving him lessons on responsible imbibing.

[quote=“hannes”]It’s all about the right time and place. English classes are definitely not the place to show pictures of gore, but there is nothing wrong with teaching children sentences like: “I wear a helmet because it is safer. I don’t want to get hurt in an accident.” or asking “Where is your helmet, Peter?”

There is nothing wrong with reminding parents that they should give their children helmets when encountering them outside the school.[/quote]

Agreed, but to stipulate more clearly, simply teaching sentences without appreciation for what they’re saying isn’t right and just becomes the mantra just like everything else. If we are teaching kids about helmets, then literally show them what helmets do and why there are different helmets for different purposes. Why are some heavier than others, smaller, lighter, different designs.
And parents should be educated with facts and statistics. Some of the thick headed may indeed need a gore video or two to push to the point home. Or a practical experiment that of course doesn’t cause them any more harm than shock to their level of understanding.

Then you’re an exception. I would estimate that given what I see of probably 90% of the buxiban teachers here, they’re the LAST people I would want teaching my child “life skills.”
It would be like having Almas John giving him lessons on responsible imbibing.[/quote]

I would agree with that statement. Without trying to sound too proud of myself, I am an exception. My classes were extremely popular as I said, but that just goes to show how people love this stuff, and how a better realistic education does work if it is produced in the right environment in the correct manner. I think in my case I was good with people and using the correct expression and interpretation of the subjects that people could appreciate as well as not find intimidating or distasteful. I thought of it as forward thinking, but perhaps it was me being a bit rebellious toward the traditional concept of education which I’ve always hated. Anyhow, it worked and was popular never the less. I just hope now that my son isn’t going to shock his teachers too much when he starts class on Sept 1st :aiyo:
I’m dreading the thought of that first phone call from the school. I promise I won’t send him to school with any gore photo albums though. I think he’ll distress them enough in his simple state without the need for pictures. :laughing:

[quote=“Dragonbones”][quote=“Edgar Allen”]Aiya. You don’t understand Taiwan!

Getting people to wear helmets is step 1. So the fact that the adults are wearing crappy bits of plastic is a step forward.
Step 2 is to increase the minimum standards of all helmets sold so that they actually afford some protection
Step3 would be to get everyone on th ebike to wear a helmet - a useful one.[/quote]

Ok, but are steps 2 and 3 actually being planned? Or is this wishful thinking?[/quote]
Definitely Wishful thinking. Right now they are more concerning about pollution of bbq’s (pollution of scooters is acceptable): chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/loca … g-City.htm

And too long red lights. They don’t know long green lights cause pollution too! :slight_smile:
chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/loca … raffic.htm

so, summing up so far:

kids on scooters too often don’t wear helmets because their parents can’t be bothered/ don’t appreciate how dangerous it is/ are blasé to the risk involved.

kids don’t know any better because they learn from their parents/ don’t understand the pain and risk involved until they have their own crash

parents and carers (grandparents normally) of children on bikes obviously (from a westerner’s point of view) need to have their behaviour changed.

but:
the government won’t educate people on this point but points to the relevant legislation it did make
the police won’t enforce the relevant legislation, as they’re too ineffectual/ busy / corrupt /ignorant
the helmet manufacturers won’t introduce better helmets (too expensive, and besides, a ‘proper helmet’ won’t fit into the scooter luggage space)
helmet ‘crimes’ rank far down on the list of things that really matter in traffic here, like running red lights, speeding, dangerous driving, ignoring pedestrian crossings, driving on the sidewalk, or the wrong way at night with no lights, having three or four people on the bike, some of them in front of the rider, etc

so all that is left is talking directly to the people involved.

but:
the police won’t do it for the reasons listed above.
the schools won’t do it because it’s not cool to correct parents behaviour
busybodies can’t do it because that’s interfering and offensive and loses face.
teachers can’t do it to the kids because that’s rude and offensive and insensitive.

only one solution: let 'em all die