Government should regulate karting 高卡車運作現况 其實就是無王管

YESTERDAY a fifteen-year-old British girl in ascarf died at a kart circuit. It is suspected shewas strangled when the scarf she worebecame tangled with a sprocket in the rear engine ofthe go-kart she was driving. The accident could havebeen prevented. It happened most probably becauseof negligence. The accident shows karting is noteffectively regulated in Hong Kong.

A video shown to beginners at the kart circuit doesremind players not to wear a scarf. The same rule islisted on a notice posted there about safety. Peoplewho work there certainly know it is extremelydangerous to be in a scarf while driving a go-kart. Hadthey reminded the girl not to wear a scarf or requiredher to take it off, she would not have died.

Four government departments have said theyhave no business to regulate karting. The TransportDepartment has said it does not monitor go-karts,which do not travel on public roads. The Electrical andMechanical Services Department has said it hasnothing to do with go-karts because they are notamusement rides. The Leisure and Cultural ServicesDepartment has said it does not monitor kart circuits.Government departments take such an attitudeactually for one reason - that the government regardskarting as a racing sport rather than an amusementactivity which members of the public may take part in.If it were regarded as an amusement activity, theElectrical and Mechanical Services Department wouldhave to ensure go-karts are safe as required by theAmusement Rides (Safety) Ordinance. However,because karting is regarded as a sport, the Electricaland Mechanical Services Department has no power toregulate it.

However, strictly speaking, it is doubtful whether itis right for the government not to regulate karting justbecause it regards it as a sport. Take Autopia cars atHong Kong Disneyland. Those electrical vehicles moveslowly along a rail. Such a vehicle will not go off the railhowever wildly the player turns its steering wheel.They are controlled not by their drivers, but by acomputer. One may say they are very safe.

Nevertheless, they are monitored by the Electrical andMechanical Services Department.

Furthermore, amusement rides like the Ferriswheel at the Hong Kong Winter Carnival (which hastaken place many times) and bumper cars in indooramusement places are monitored by the Electrical andMechanical Services Department. Nevertheless, nogovernment department ensures the safety of go-karts,which may race at such a high speed as 120 km perhour on a circuit. The Hong Kong Kart Club issupposed to the regulator of the sport. However, itdoes so nominally rather than actually. Safety at kartcircuits does give cause for concern.

The Home Affairs Bureau has worked togetherwith the Hong Kong Kart Club and the operator of thekart circuit in dealing with the aftermath of the deadlygo-kart accident. In our view, as the Hong Kong KartClub is not a statutory body, it is doubtful whether itcan be an effective regulator. Karting is an activity thatposes some risk. To ensure go-karters' safety, thegovernment should regulate it regardless of whether itis a sport or an amusement activity.

明報社評2010.02.19

高卡車運作現况 其實就是無王管

15 歲英籍少女戴頸巾駕駛小型賽車（又稱高卡車），懷疑頸巾被捲入車尾高速轉動的引擎鏈輪，成為殺死少女的兇器。這是一樁意外，原本可以避免，只是疑涉人為疏忽，使慘劇發生，而意外暴露了高卡車運作缺乏有效監管。

發生意外的小型賽車場，給「新丁」講授相關課程時，所播映錄影帶有提醒玩家不能戴頸巾。另外，場內告示牌所列舉的安全事項，也有同樣提示。場內工作人員一定知道戴頸巾駕高卡車極之危險，若他們提醒甚或強制英籍少女不要戴頸巾進場，她不會死。

政府方面，四個部門均稱小型賽車場不屬其管理範圍。運輸署表示，小型賽車不在公共道路行駛，不由該署監管；機電工程署稱，小型賽車不屬於機動遊戲，與他們無關；康文署也稱，小型賽車場不由他們監管。政府部門這個取態，其實有一個根本原因，就是政府不當小型賽車為公衆可以參與的遊樂活動，而是視之為一種鬥快的體育活動。因為若屬遊樂活動，機電工程署就要按照《機動遊戲機（安全）條例》規管，小型賽車既然是體育運動，機電署也就無權監管。

不過，嚴格而言，政府視小型賽車為體育運動而不監管，是否恰當，值得斟酌。就以迪士尼樂園的電動軌車為例，它受到軌道規限，緩慢前進，玩者置身其中，就算狂扭軑盤，軌車也不會離開軌道，因為軌車實際由電腦控制，並非由「駕駛者」操控，可謂甚為安全。但是即使如此，電動軌車還要受機電署監管。

同樣地， 以往在本港舉行多次的「冬日繽紛嘉年華」，場內各種電動遊戲包括摩天輪等，和現在個別室內遊樂場所的碰碰車都受機電署監管；但是，速度高達60 至120 公里的高卡車，在賽道上風馳電掣奔馳，卻不受任何政府部門監管，而有「監管」之責的小型賽車會，只有監察之名，卻無監察之實。高卡車的安全問題，確實值得關注。

高卡車奪命意外發生後，看當局的處理，由民政事務局出面與香港小型賽車會及賽車場營辦商處理善後工作。我們認為，小型賽車會並非法定機構，其監管成效值得質疑，對小型賽車這種有危險的活動，政府其實不宜囿於它屬於遊樂抑或體育活動，應該納入正規監管，以確保參加者的安全。

Glossary

sprocket /'spr ?kIt/

a wheel with a row of teeth around the edge thatconnect with the holes of a chain or in a film.

business

If you have no business to do something, youhave no right to do it.

aftermath /'a:ft ?ma?? /

the situation that exists as a result of an event,especially a war or an accident.