Moped or not!

[reCAPTCHA]

Sorry in advance, this is a bit of a Mumsnet post, but yanno, they‘re mostly dicks, so I’d rather have more balanced advice here

I have a 15 yr old son who is absolutely lush, a total ‘Captain Sensible’ and is on track to do well in his GCSE’s. He’s quite geeky- has a very small group of friends (but no-one close), and mostly keeps himself to himself. He never ‘wants’ for anything; he’s just so sweet (I’m biased ) and is terrible at asking for stuff. He’s just like “I have everything I need Mum; it’s all good.”

He’s a late August baby so the youngest in his year, and as he starts 6th form in Sep this year I’m thinking that it might be a great idea to treat him to something he would never expect- a mode of transport other than a bus!

We live fairly suburban/rural so he’d only ever be in fairly low speed/traffic areas, so in a danger respect i don’t think I’d be too concerned (my worse fear is him being knocked over, as it would be for most parents I’d imagine). He’s super sensible so I’d have no concerns about him wearing a helmet or appropriate gear etc.

What else should I be thinking about? What are your experiences?

Thanks so much I advance for your input Tattle When I first became a parent I would have 100% have been against a moped or a motorcycle, but I guess my perspective has mellowed a bit now that I have a 16yr old to spoil!

 

[FannyAdams29]

I wouldn’t recommend based on personal experience.
I was gifted a moped at 16. I was all those things you have described of your son and none of that prevented a driver driving into the side of me.
I thankfully got away with just a fractured foot and semi deep wound but it could have been much worse.
the moped was brand new and hadn’t even been derestrictd yet as I think you had to do a certain amount of miles so I was only going 30miles per hour.
Never got back on one again and suffered with ptsd so didn’t feel confident to start learning to drive a car until I was 20/21.
I was also a summer baby but my friends turned 17 and started driving and ferried me about

 

[reCAPTCHA]

I wouldn’t recommend based on personal experience.
I was gifted a moped at 16. I was all those things you have described of your son and none of that prevented a driver driving into the side of me.
I thankfully got away with just a fractured foot and semi deep wound but it could have been much worse.
the moped was brand new and hadn’t even been derestrictd yet as I think you had to do a certain amount of miles so I was only going 30miles per hour.
Never got back on one again and suffered with ptsd so didn’t feel confident to start learning to drive a car until I was 20/21.
I was also a summer baby but my friends turned 17 and started driving and ferried me about

Thank you ; yes that’s just the kind of perspective that I think I need to put me off i think as I guess serious incidents happen even at low speeds and there are so many twats on the road

 

[G_man]

Yeah its a confusing one because you could have the most sensible moped/motorcycle driver in the world but sadly its the other drivers you have to be aware of.

Why dont you treat him to a nice emountain bike? Not one of the suron types what arent allowed, a mountain bike with electric battery, they are brilliant, basically it feels like your peddling down a hill when your going up one, it makes travelling over a long distance an absolute breeze. Its not 100% electric, just like power assistance so totally legal

 

[Norfolking Good]

I’m a F biker with 20 years experience, and from a personal standpoint it is often the other road users who pose the danger rather than the rider (though we all make errors). If your son waits until he is 17 then he can have a 125cc scooter which will allow him to have a little more power to keep up with 40mph traffic than the 50cc hairdryers which are quite slow and make for drivers impatient to overtake (or a car which is a damn sight more warm and dry!).
Most of us bikers have had at least one accident and many near misses so I’ll not pretend they are the safest mode of transport but just depends on your views.
Hope this helps.

 

[reCAPTCHA]

I’m a F biker with 20 years experience, and from a personal standpoint it is often the other road users who pose the danger rather than the rider (though we all make errors). If your son waits until he is 17 then he can have a 125cc scooter which will allow him to have a little more power to keep up with 40mph traffic than the 50cc hairdryers which are quite slow and make for drivers impatient to overtake (or a car which is a damn sight more warm and dry!).
Most of us bikers have had at least one accident and many near misses so I’ll not pretend they are the safest mode of transport but just depends on your views.
Hope this helps.

Really useful thank you 🫶