Dr. Allan Horowitz, published newspaper article, Richmond Hill Liberal, Copyright October 24, 1990

Dear Dr. Horowitz:

            I am a teenage boy (13 years old) who has a problem that you might be able to help me with. I want to buy a dirt bike to ride up at our cottage and my parents don’t want me to. They say it is too dangerous.

I know that I will wear a helmet at all times and I will not ride it on the road, just the trails.

My mother told me she remembers articles in a lot of papers telling how bad these bikes are and how people can get killed on them. I am hoping that you will tell my parents that it is okay for me to buy one.

Ken, Newmarket.

Dear Ken:

            I hate to spoil all of the fun, but I will not endorse your purchase of a dirt bike. I really don’t think that “getting killed” is the issue in this controversy. It is really about the risk versus the fun you will have with the bike.

A teenager on a dirt bike can have a great deal of fun, and dirt bike racing is a real adventure sport where many skills come into play. If you do as you promised and stay off the roads, drive cautiously at all times, always wear your helmet and other protective equipment, and not take any foolish chances, then the chances for serious harm are quite slim.

However, the potential is definitely there for repeated, relatively minor injuries to occur which may have harmful effects on your future health.

A 13-year-old boy is still growing and his bones are not fully formed, molded and fused. The inevitable bumping, jarring and many falls you will experience will place too much strain on your joints, which over the years will probably give you problems.

In my office I see many children and teens who have lower back problems simply because they are active in a sport which places a great stress on their lower back or neck. These people are healthy in every other way, but their “sport” causes repeated, minor injuries to their immature joints, which eventually cause a “not so minor” problem when they are adults.

Riding horses, gymnastics, trampoline, dancing, riding on dirt bikes or in speed boats and even skateboarding all cause these little injuries which could turn bigger in time.

I think it would be wise for you to put off your dirt bike desires for a few years, at least until you are 17 years old. At that time your bones and joints would not be as vulnerable to the shocks and falls of the sport.

Going out for the odd ride does not hurt (as long as all precautions are observed) but buying your own bike and riding frequently is not recommended at this time.

When the time is right, and if you still feel the same desire to ride dirt bikes, I suggest you join a club or take some instruction first. It is a more complicated sport than getting on and riding until you are too covered in dirt to see where you are going. It is fine to pretend that you are in a Tide commercial and fly over hills and into puddles, but remember, it is a dangerous sport and one where certain rules should always be followed.