Chinese scooter shop owner fined for staging 10-man ‘pyramid’ stunt on one of his bikes
Locals enjoy performance staged to show strength of retailer’s machines, but police are not impressed
The owner of a scooter shop in southwestern China has been fined for staging a dangerous promotional stunt to demonstrate the durability of his machines, local media reported.
The man, who was not named, and nine of his associates climbed aboard a scooter and performed their version of the classic motorcycle pyramid trick along a road in Yufeng, Sichuan province, news website Beijing Time reported on Saturday.
The person at the back of the huddle held a sign promoting the bike’s ability to “withstand the weight of 10 men”, while another yelled a similar message through a megaphone.
The performance drew crowds of people to watch, many of whom took photographs and uploaded them to the internet.
Unfortunately for the daredevils, their antics also attracted the local traffic police, the report said.
The owner of the scooter shop was reprimanded at the scene for organising the stunt and, following a review by the local public security bureau, fined 490 yuan (US$75) and had two points deducted from his licence.
The report said that the people involved were guilty of assorted offences, including riding without safety helmets, having too many people on a single vehicle and lacking the appropriate insurance. It did not say if any of the other nine people involved were punished.
In China, drivers start with 12 points on their licences, but lose them for various infringements. Once all 12 have gone the licence is suspended.
