Kids and safety issues
I'm not so sure that this stuff is purely generational or limited to class and/or race, although maybe it is. I know that when I was a kid (in a solidly middle-class, lily-white neighborhood) and riding my bike around, I did dumb kid stuff, like pull out in front of cars. Not on purpose, just inattentive and with no clue of what it takes to stop a 3,000 pound vehicle, even at 25 mph. I suspect this is just typical kid stuff that they all do at some point, based mostly on ignorance and naivete.
Of course, the current MTV/gangsta generation is a factor in some cases. The 'NOBODY be telling ME what to do, man' attitude that makes even walking on the sidewalk somehow 'wimpy' while walking in the road is 'kewl'. That's annoying, at best, but when it's little kids, I think it's just, well, little kids being dumb.
As for parent's responsibility, as a parent, let me tell you that while you can have the best intentions and otherwise be a 'perfect' parent, a little kid, especially a toddler (2 -3 years old) can get away from you in an instant. It's happened to me. While it's easy to blame the parents (and sometimes deserved) no one is perfect and no parent can watch their child every moment. The child's safety is still the parent's ultimate responsibility of course, but for you non-parents, I can tell you that it's harder than you might think to watch a young child every minute. For parents, well, you already know this.
Drive safely and watch out for kids and idiots.
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