Parents of the dead cannot escape blame

Published on: Sunday, February 26, 2017

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By BS
IT was sad to read that eight teenagers died and eight others were injured when they were mowed down by a car driven by a lady in Johor Baru last Saturday.

The incident happened at about 3am and one of the survivors said the driver was on her handphone.

It was reported that a group of 20 to 30 teenage cyclists had obstructed the road.

They came from areas such as Plentong and Skudai to ride their modified bicycles.

I am shocked and saddened for the parents of the teenagers who were killed.

If they knew of the cycling expedition during the wee hours of the morning maybe they would have cautioned their children or prevented them from leaving home.

While we share the grief of the parents, what cannot be accepted is that the children were on the road at the time of the day unsupervised. The children should have been in bed instead of on the highway.

The police have not dismissed the possibility that action will be taken against parents who let their children roam the streets unattended after midnight.

According to the Johor police chief, the mishap could have been prevented if the movement of the teenagers were closely monitored by their parents.

Parents should keep tabs on their children at all times. It will do much good to them.

BS