Pity the first picture came out so badly, because it showed the kid with the helmet on standing at the side of the road watching while his helmet-less friend sped around at what seemed to be about 30mph.

What are the laws governing these things? Is a license required for them? (I seem to remember the Sinclair C5 needing a driving license in Ireland, but not in the UK – would the speed and power of these quad bikes not mean that they should be licensed too?).

I remember driving around on them when I was around 18 (at a scout jamboree, no less…) and even though they were speed restricted and we were driving on a proper track under supervision, I thought they were potentially dangerous enough machines even then. Surely a 13 or 14 year old child shouldn’t be able to whizz around a housing estate unsupervised at 20 to 30mph?