The case of a boy who fell down while riding a shared bike and died in Central China has drawn people’s attention to safety problems of shared bicycles, hnr.cn reported.

Photo shows bikes that users can easily ride or park under the sharing scheme. [File photo: sohu.com]

The boy, whose name has not been revealed, was reportedly 12 or 13 years old. Witnesses said he and other boys were riding yellow bicycles at high speed and practicing drifting on a steep road in Zhengzhou, Henan province, when the accident happened on Sunday. The bicycles are run by Ofo.

Though the accident is under investigation, some said the boys illegally used the bicycles after cracking the password of the mechanical locks on the bicycles.

Users of Ofo bikes first need to pay via their mobile phones before they are sent the password that unlocks the bicycle.

Many primary students in Zhengzhou, however, showed that they can unlock the Ofo bicycles without the password, with one student unlocking four bicycles out of the 10 locked ones, according to the report.

According to law, those under 12 are not allowed to ride bicycles on roads. As Ofo’s mechanical lock has long been criticized for its lax features, many question who should be held responsible for the safety of juveniles who illegally use the bicycles.

“I think the parents should be held responsible,” said Liu Ming, a resident of Zhengzhou. He said he once saw his 9-year-old son riding the yellow bicycle and warned him.

Another resident, surnamed Wu, agreed on the importance of guardian’s role but suggested that Ofo should change its mechanical locks into safer ones. Shared bicycles on other platforms use smart locks, which are hard to illegally break.

An Ofo employee said the company has launched bicycles with smart locks in Beijing and will introduce the new version in other regions of the country in the future.

If somebody dies due to quality defects or poor management of the shared bicycle, the company should take the responsibility, said lawyer Zhang Shaochun.

But if the minor cracked the password then the juvenile and the guardian should take the main responsibility, Zhang added.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)’s fifth-term chief executive Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Wednesday introduced to the media her governing team, pledging to serve the people with pragmatism and build a better Hong Kong for the next generation.

China’s State Council, on the nomination of Lam, approved the appointments of principal officials of the fifth term government of the HKSAR earlier Wednesday.

Speaking at the press conference, Lam said that each member of her team is passionate, capable, committed and prepared to serve the people of Hong Kong, in accordance with the Basic Law with utmost sincerity and stamina.

Lam described her team as a practical one, which is conversant with the operation of the government, has rich administrative experience and supports the idea that the SAR government should play more active roles.

“My team and I will strive to rebuild social harmony, enhance public confidence in the government and ensure that the government will better align its work with public aspirations,” Lam said.

She mentioned that frank discussions with Legislative Council members and stakeholders of different sectors, as well as taking on broad views of frontline workers and young people will be an important part of her new style of governance.

All of the 21 officials appointed showed up at the press conference. According to the Basic Law of the HKSAR, the officials will assume office on July 1, 2017.