Use Of Electric Bikes To Schools, Expert: Mental Readiness Of Main Children

Illustration of traffic police officers when stopping a number of children who were riding electric bicycles on the highway, Saturday (16/7/2022). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Child and family psychologist Sani Budiantini Hermawan from the Faculty of Psychology, University of Indonesia reminded that children's ability to ride bicycles, especially electric bicycles and their mental readiness, is the main thing that cannot be underestimated.

Moreover, the use of electric bicycles by children as a means of transportation to go and return to school is now increasingly prevalent, but behind the convenience and efficiency offered, there are things that need to be considered, especially regarding children's mental readiness.

"We have to monitor his skills so that he is proficient in using brakes, directing the handlebars and then spontaneity, when something happens on the streets he can also anticipate well. So, it can't be instant," Sani said when quoted by ANTARA on Sunday, September 15.

In addition to children's abilities, road conditions must also be taken into account, according to him, not all routes that are traversed by children to school are safe for electric bicycles, so parents need to survey routes that children travel on a daily basis.

Distance factors are also taken into consideration, if the distance from home to school is too far, children can feel tired in the middle of the trip, and this can increase the risk of accidents due to fatigue affects their ability to stay focused and responsive to the surrounding environment.

One thing that is often overlooked is the mental readiness of children, because according to Sani, age is not always an indicator that children are mentally mature to face the risk of driving on the highway.

"Of course, whether the child is obedient in cycling, considering that the bicycle is already on public roads, where there are factors of danger, risk, density, and then other transportation drivers also need to be taken into account so that children are not proficient, do not understand the rules, end up endangering themselves or others," he said.

Sani also reminded parents to ask their children if they feel comfortable using electric bicycles as a means of transportation to school.

Even so, he also asked parents to remain alert to the stress their children may experience while on the road, because stress can arise if the child is often late and ends up driving recklessly, or because they are not fully proficient and do not understand the rules.

This can have a negative impact, including accidents or disruptions to children's performance at school.

Therefore, in addition to skills and mental readiness, the comfort of children is also an important factor that must be considered before deciding to use electric bicycles for trips to school.