Case Study: A Novice Unlicensed Child Operator of a Motorized Dirt Bike Versus an Ambulance Driver

摘要

While most motor vehicle operators must obtain a driver’s license, which requirestraining and a test, child operators of motorized dirt bikes can use these vehicles withoutany training or experience. In this case, a 10-year-old boy was riding a dirt bike in thedesert for the first time. The area where he was riding had desert-like sand and duneconditions on both sides of a 2-lane highway. The boy received some oral instructionsfrom a family friend, and then spent a few hours riding in the dirt. Towards the end of theday, an off-duty ambulance was driving down the highway. The child stopped at the sideof the road, looked towards the ambulance, which was the only vehicle on the road ineither direction, and then proceeded to cross, clearing the roadway. The ambulance driverpanicked, left the road and struck the dirt bike 30 feet off the side of the road in the dirt.The boy suffered a traumatic brain injury with permanent brain damage. Human factorsissues from both motor vehicle operators’ perspectives will be discussed.