ALL PARENTS would be feeling the sadness and sorrow currently being felt by a Wellington family who lost their nine-year-old son to a fatal accident when a motorcycle he was given for Christmas crashed.
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No person likes to hear of a young person's tragic death, and making a sad story infinitely sadder was the serious injury to a 12-year-old boy who was on the same motorbike.
A Wellington resident who did not wish to be name said the use of motorcycles by young and inexperienced riders was an issue in the town - many onlookers disturbed by the use of these machines, often without safety gear like helmets, have expressed concern, the person said.
We are sure the parents of the young lad will be devastated and we offer our sincere condolences.
Almost every young boy aspires to have his own motorbike and it is the early use of these vehicles that were the primary steps for riders like Casey Stoner to launch a successful career in motor sport.
However the risks are patently obvious and while full details of this tragedy are sketchy there is sure to be more discussion about appropriate use of these vehicles - perhaps in the terms of a coronal inquest.
The federal government announced moves to ban young people from riding quad bikes - a favoured vehicle on the majority of farms throughout the country.
Questions have been posed as to how the government proposes to police such a ruling, but an application of commonsense from parents should ensure the proper usage of safety equipment like helmets and rollover protection systems would go a long way to preserve these precious young lives.