Should I let my underage son handle his ATV court case alone?

FunkeMagicBro

So this kid!has his first court date today for not wearing a helmet and for driving an ATV before he was 16. He does have an ATV license, but I want to teach him how to handle the courts without a lawyer. I think that’s better than just telling him to pay the fine and obey. Call me a bad dad if you want, but why are they charging a child who can’t sign a contract on his own? Thoughts, comments, even rude remarks are welcome on this post, boys.

mountainswan90

Well, he knows the rules, and so do you. If he was cruising on the road and that ATV isn’t a legit registered ride, you’re lucky it didn’t get impounded.

Chilli

You're doing great. Make sure he knows he broke the law and it was dangerous. Life skills like this matter.

FlawlessRaven21

First, please teach your child the importance of wearing a safety helmet.

Second, remember that laws are clear; you’ll have a hard time contesting them in court.

Third, consider encouraging him to follow the law rather than break it.

If you follow these three steps, you’re more likely to have a son who stays safe and out of trouble.

Those are my three life lessons for being a responsible father.

Frostbiterx3

If they can hold a license, they can “enter a contract”.

As a paramedic, I’ve seen way too many kids get crushed byy quads, dirt bikes, and snowmobiles. Then those clueless parents act like they never could have imagined it happening. I was there when a 13‑year‑old smashed into a tree on his dirt bike no helmet and ended up with permanent brain damage. Three years later I had to transfer the same kid from the facility his parents put him in to a hospital so they could cut his ligaments and ease the pain from muscle atrophy. That’s the fucking reality you’re talking about.

You’re not just a bad dad, you’re a retard. I hope the judge doubles his fine for wasting the court’s time and then fines you for being a dipshit. You should be taking him to a facility that cares for people with brain damage and showing him his damn future if he ever rides without a helmet again.

Nexixiom

Make him wear a helmet dad. Fuxk the law but kid can get brain damage.

chabernetphoenix

Speaking as someone who lost a close cousin as a teen in an ATV accident, I’m holding you fully accountable. You’re right he shouldn’t be charged, you should be. Wear a helmet all the time, no exceptions. I don’t care if you’re only going 2 mph from the trailer to the garage put the helmet on. Life can flip in an instant. Helmets might feel dorky, inconvenient, uncomfortable… but they’re a million percent better than the?alternative.

OscarRemioWolf

You had me on board until you started asking why they’d charge a kid who can’t even sign a contract on his own.

It sounds like you’re teaching him not to own his actions just making excuses or hunting for crazy loopholes.

darkrukim

At least you dressed up for the court appearance; some people go in looking like absolute units.
IMO, get him to wear that helmet. Safety is never uncool. We have already lost too many motorsports legends this year.

sunnysgtpepsi85

If he can snag a license, then he can totally be cited for breaking the law. I used to be a process server, and I handed out photo‑radar tickets to kids all the time! Whether he can sign a contract is irrelevant. You drove him to get that license, so you basically gave the green light for him to sign up and follow every state rule tied to it. He,flunked the law and got a ticket. It doesn’t matter if you think the law is stupid or not. If you don’t like it, go out there and fight to change it!

CarloQuailXarn

The fact that he holds a licence feels like a legally binding contract, suggesting he knows the laws and rules concerning ATVs. I wonder if you aim to teach him a real lesson perhaps encouraging him to own up to his mistake, apologize to the court, accept the fine, learn from it, and next time wear a helmet. Extreme ownership

techsavvy42

Going up against the court over a written law isn’t going to end well for either of you. If he can’t follow the rules that come with his license without accepting the consequences, then he probably shouldn’t have that license.

KeyTorPet

Sounds like you’re setting him up for failure.

Your actions have consequences if you teach him to squirrel and squirm out of things, he’ll grow up without any sense of responsibility.

DungeonSailorPG

Um…yes, he can contract at 16…he did when he got his license. The law also spells out what he must wear and do while operating the ATV…that was on his licensing test. 🤦‍♂️ There's no need to be rude, but you're both going to learn a lesson. Have fun. 💁🤣

DorkiRookPrime

Honestly, I find myself thinking that it should all be on you. Please make sure he's always wearing a helmet… so he doesn’t learn the hard way.

Lostfound

When I was about five, I still remember a primary‑school friend who fell off his little ATV without a helmet. He was permanently brain‑damaged and never spoke or walked again.

Nearly thirty years later I still picture him in his electric wheelchair, fully cared for by his mother and father. He is completely unaware of who he is or who others are a shell of a pers on.

Be happy you’re paying a fine and tell your boy to use a helmet. Save yourself thirty years of heartbreak.

harqrunlog

I’d have taught him to wear a helmet and protect his head and your pocket book 🤷‍♂️
I’d rather ensure my child can walk away from an accident than teach them to be reckless and become a vegetable or die.

WaffleMarsh

Three years ago I felt like Superman, helmetless, showing my 10‑year‑old his new dirt‑bike Christmas gift. Nevertheless, he almost watched his father die that Christmas. He needs to learn a lesson, brother, and you must enforce the helmet especially at his age. Good luck.

RANDOMKING87

I don't know US laws because I live in the UK. In England and Wales (Scotland and Northern Ireland may be different), the police would deal with this directly. It wouldn't go to a magistrate. The driver would get a fine and three points on his licence for any vehicle class, issued b the police who stopped him. I'm not telling you how to parent I don't know you but I think a better lesson would be to teach him which fights to pick. This isn't one, since they already have him in police custody. I've been caught speeding four times in the last six years. I accepted the punishment for the first three. For the fourth, I claimed “extenuating circumstances,” appealed, and it was cancelled; the first three were enforced.

TerryTheTank

So, today a friend took his own life. A few years back he was riding his quad down an alley, no helmet, and he hit a fence. That gave him brain damage, and he was never the same. In the end, he just couldn’t handle this new life.