Is Your 15 Year-Old Really Ready to Own a Motorcycle?

Texas allows teenage drivers as young as fifteen to operate a motorcycle, provided they obtain the proper permit from their local DMV. However, many parents I talk to are surprised at this fact.   Is age 15 really old enough to turn your teenager loose on the highway with a motorcycle? The answer to this question depends greatly on the individual child, but in most cases, the answer is probably no…at least not if you want to keep them safe. Why?

Allowing your teenager to ride a motorcycle is a huge decision that many parents feel unprepared to make. It’s perplexing that a teenager can operate a motorcycle at 15, but not a automobile, when motorcycles are generally far more dangerous. Unlike cars, motorcycles don’t have seat belts, air bags, or the stability that cars do. They also don’t have a rugged crash-tested frame to protect occupants. Even experienced motorcyclists are at a far greater risk of injury and death than those in cars and trucks, so it’s imperative that parents exercise an abundance of caution when considering whether to allow their teen to ride a motorcycle.

Aside from the inherent danger of the openness that a motorcycle provides, there are some added risk factors specific to teenage riders that parents should be aware of.

A prominent Motorcycle Accident Attorney San Antonio offers the following 4 tips for parents considering a motorcycle for their teenager:

1. The teenage brain is distracted far more easily than that of an adult. And when operating a motorcycle, even momentary distractions can be deadly.
2. Risk Taking. Teens don’t always think through every decision carefully before they make it. The pleasure seeking centers of the teenage brain tend to develop before the parts of the brain that control judgment and caution. As such, teens are more susceptible to risk taking, which is only heighted by peer pressure and the need for attention. These attributes, present in almost all teens, can be deadly when behind the wheel of a motorcycle.
3. Teens are often unexperienced with cause and effect, especially when it comes to hazards and potential dangers. They tend to underestimate risks, and aren’t as keenly aware of hazards as adult riders, which can often be a recipe for disaster.
4. Egocentrism & Independence. Teens are often just exploring their new-found sense of independence, and learning to make decisions on their own. They often feel that “they are old enough..” for this or that. This need to become their own person, and break free from parental guidance, almost always causes teens to overestimate their own abilities. They fail to understand their own physical, intellectual, and emotional shortcomings, which causes them to “throw caution to the wind.”

Motorcycles are very unforgiving machines. It only takes one wrong maneuver, sudden swerve, or a small patch of sand or gravel to lead to catastrophic results – even for those who are wearing proper protective gear.

That is why our San Antonio motorcycle accident attorneys recommend that parents consider all of the risks, as well as their teenager’s abilities and level of maturity when considering whether or not to allow their teens to operate a motorcycle.