Hey You on the Scooter!

Yes you!

I am the guy who was driving the red Kia alongside you outside the Bet Av”i school in Even Yehuda this morning at a few minutes before eight. I was alone in my car, driving quietly and slowly because of the large number of school-kids and parents dropping their children off at the school.

You were on your motorized scooter. You seemed to be well balanced and scooting along at a reasonable speed. The thing is, Mister, that you had your son, who looked to be about 5 or 6 years old, standing on the scooter board and balancing in front of you. True, he was holding onto your pants for safety.

We were driving parallel to each other. Me on the road and you on the sidewalk. We were both traveling at about the same respectable speed. Then, for some reason that I couldn’t and still can’t understand, you decided to cross the road. You picked a good spot – a pedestrian crossing – and you turned without any hesitation or signal as you arrived at the start of the lines across the road, which happened to be where I was as well. I was going home, straight ahead. You made a 90 degree turn right in front of me. I slammed my foot on the brake and my car stopped instantly, almost without moving forward. The car had its service and annual test last week and performed admirably.

So did you. You crossed the road with your passenger. You never noticed my micro-second reaction or my car’s instant stop. You never looked to the right or the left as you turned. You exposed yourself and your passenger to mortal danger. You behaved like an idiot.

Your passenger is precious. He hung onto you because he loves you. He has only one father and he knows that, even at his tender age. He trusts you not to make a mistake or endanger him.

He is your son and you love him with all your heart and all your being.

So why do you expose him to danger by lifting him on your scooter?

Grow up, man! Be the father your son thinks you are! Treat your precious son as he deserves!