How do you deal with neighborhood kids when you run your RC vehicles?

[-FLEX-]

Bought my son an E-Revo yesterday.

He doesn't live with me so he doesn't know any of the kids in the neighborhood, and there's a few new kids that even I don't know, and of course they all come running over. I understand that. It's cool, right?

So one kid asks me if he can run the car and I said no. He says "Did you just say no?" incredulously. So I said "yep". And he was like "Why not?" I said "Because the thing cost $300, that's why."

So then they all start chasing the thing around and trying to block it while he was driving it. He got tired of that quick and stopped and picked up the car. I could tell he didn't want to drive it because of them and how they were acting.

So I said, let's take it to the parking lot at the schoolyard, figuring the little kids would not follow.

Wrong.

He was like the pied piper with all the other kids in tow as we walked over to the school.

Again as soon as he started running the car they were chasing it and trying to get in the way and one kid had this big foam hammer thing (like Thor) and was throwing it at the car. Odd behaviour IMHO.

I didn't say anything to the kids as I didn't know them, and again my son picked up the car and started walking home. He didn't understand why they were trying to ruin his fun. And neither did I, to be honest. Kids will be kids, I guess.

So we went inside and took it out again later when they weren't around.

Anyone else have to deal with this?

[Double G]

Yeah, I tell them if they want to drive it, then they have to pay me money first--not just a dollar, but a few hundred. They ask why and I respond that it cost that much. Pay to play. Or I'll ask them if I can ride their bike or use one of their beloved possessions and see what they say.
I'll typically run it in an area where there are no kids or they are a distance away. If they come over they can watch, but chasing it around I'll be stern and let them know that I'm not okay with it. If the parents get involved, I'll say I have a right to play where I want and that is why I chose the spot a fair distance from everyone else and the kids came to me.

[snowfighter]

Yep same thing over here but not as bad.They do try to chase the truck then just sit and watch.I just ask them not to chase or throw thing at it nicely.Some times they try to race it with there bikes.Sound like the group you are having trouble with were not brought up to respect other peoples things.Too bad,Like you said kids will be kids.Just ask them to give your son his space.My 2 cents Good luck Flex.

[BigEll]

I tell the kids straight up "Don't stand in front of it. It'll hurt."
Plain and simple.lol And they catch my drift.

I think that because it's new and something they've never played with before, they're interested. They don't know how to act.
I'm sure they don't intend to break it or rain on your son's parade.

[DiggerPede]

Every once in a while i'll have some of the neighborhood kids stop and view in awe at my RC's. Then you will get a kid that will ask if they can drive it. I always tell them it costs lots of money $$$. They usually won't ask again. One kid asked if he could buy one from me for $20. I didnt even answer him back. LOL I've been pretty lucky and not had them stand in front of, chase or throw things at it.

Hopefully these little tikes won't come out everytime yall go out to drive. Might have to find a bashing spot across town or something.

[Cipher_Jones]

I get in teh car and go somewhere else. Kids can't drive and stuff.

[08kgraves]

ive had a few random people kids and adults ask if they can drive and i just politely say no because it cost way to much. but most people would just watch and not get in the way.

[67Mustang]

If they start getting in the way and chasing it, I just tell them that it could break their leg lol. It always works.
Regarding if they ask to drive it, I ask them if they have the value of the car in cash in their pockets I.E if i'm driving a $200 rustler, I ask if they have $200. If they dont, they can't drive it because they could break it.

[mike-susieq1]

i tell them to please stay out of the way if they dont listen which they dont most the time then i ask if i can speak to their parents and i tell them i'm telling their parents what they are doing and sometimes they stop chasing it and getting in the way if they dont listen then i talk to their parents and ask their parents please tell them to stop what there doing or i am going to come back and at the same time i tell them if their kid/kids step, break it they have to pay for it because i have told them already so warned is all you need. i usually run at the park but when i cant i run in my parking lot.

[snowmaxx 3905]

I tell them that's its very expensive or its not working very well right now, always works.

[-FLEX-]

If it happens again I will definitely say something.

I want to think their excitement just got the better of them.

But my gf said they are hellions and that she had to sternly tell one of them to get of our lawn as he was whacking away at our grass with a rope. She told him to stop and he said "Why?" LOL. Kids!

[1979chevy.]

Personally, I would tell them that they could each drive the car for a minute or so if they are extremely careful, tell them to not squeeze the throttle very far at all. I have experience with kids big time, lots of kids haha, they just feel left out and try to gain attention anyway they can (even if it means throwing stuff at the car to get noticed).
Let the kiddos drive the car for a bit in a nice large grassy area where the chances of breaking something is minute.
I let kids drive the Slayer and T-maxx every once in a while when they show up while I'm driving .
After a minute or so they are satisfied and are content to watch.
There's a chance here for you to mentor these kids and get them started into the hobby.
Just my two cents man, it's your car

[1979chevy.]

Believe me, I know kids can drive you up a wall, they do it to me all the time

[Wolfslash16]

What would I do? RUN"M OVER!!! LOL JK. Depends on who the kid is, and how old he/she is. So far, NO ONE but me, my best friend, and my dad have driven my slash or slayer. And I plan on keeping it that way. Most people just say 'oh come one dude just for a little spin" all I say NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! LOL Most people think I'm greedy with them, but to me, my rc cars are ALOMOST pets. Besides my 30+ fish, my parents dont like having pets. For me, anything I pay $450+ on is going to get EXTRMELY well cared for. Period. I just don't want some one to drive my rc car, wreak it, and say "oh sorry about that" and run off before I can get them to pay. Just my 2 cents...

[The VXL]

What would I do? RUN"M OVER!!! LOL JK. Depends on who the kid is, and how old he/she is. So far, NO ONE but me, my best friend, and my dad have driven my slash or slayer. And I plan on keeping it that way. Most people just say 'oh come one dude just for a little spin" all I say NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! LOL Most people think I'm greedy with them, but to me, my rc cars are ALOMOST pets. Besides my 30+ fish. my parents dont like having pets. For me, anything I pay $450+ on is going to get EXTRMELY well cared for. Period. I just don't want some one to drive my rc car, wreak it, and say "oh sorry about that" and run off before I can get them to pay. Just my 2 cents...

I completely agree with this only that kids here in the UK never ask if they can have ago.... Mostly because their jaws are hanging open in amazement from the speed of my rustler!

[1979chevy.]

What would I do? RUN"M OVER!!! LOL JK. Depends on who the kid is, and how old he/she is. So far, NO ONE but me, my best friend, and my dad have driven my slash or slayer. And I plan on keeping it that way. Most people just say 'oh come one dude just for a little spin" all I say NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! LOL Most people think I'm greedy with them, but to me, my rc cars are ALOMOST pets. Besides my 30+ fish. my parents dont like having pets. For me, anything I pay $450+ on is going to get EXTRMELY well cared for. Period. I just don't want some one to drive my rc car, wreak it, and say "oh sorry about that" and run off before I can get them to pay. Just my 2 cents...

Yeah I'd have to say I agree, with your situation.

[-FLEX-]

Let the kiddos drive the car for a bit in a nice large grassy area where the chances of breaking something is minute.

That's a good idea.

We were running it on the street at the time. It's a townhouse complex so not a very wide laneway either. Curbs everywhere. But yeah, we could take my 'Pede out to the field out back; would be near impossible for them to wreck it out there.

But the e-revo on the street? Nope. Not gonna happen.

[mike-susieq1]

What would I do? RUN"M OVER!!! LOL JK. Depends on who the kid is, and how old he/she is. So far, NO ONE but me, my best friend, and my dad have driven my slash or slayer. And I plan on keeping it that way. Most people just say 'oh come one dude just for a little spin" all I say NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! LOL Most people think I'm greedy with them, but to me, my rc cars are ALOMOST pets. Besides my 30+ fish. my parents dont like having pets. For me, anything I pay $450+ on is going to get EXTRMELY well cared for. Period. I just don't want some one to drive my rc car, wreak it, and say "oh sorry about that" and run off before I can get them to pay. Just my 2 cents...

same here i dont have cash flow to have someone else break my 300+ rc, i get stuff broken by my wife enough when she drives them but she lets me buy parts to fix it though same as my own money but i would rather her have fun and break it than someone else.

[pavmentsurfer]

Every time I got out and run in town I end up with a gathering of onlookers. Whenever its kids they ALWAYS ask if they can try and, for the most part, are o.k. with me telling them no. My reason, cost. This is not a toy. Sure, to the average viewer its a toy. But when was the last time a guy with one of those SUPER high end model train sets just let the neighbours kid take it for a spin. This is a hobby... its just as legitimate as any other hobby and, for the most part, people don't just let other people try out their $400 hobby items.

Ive let my own friends who are my age run my trucks and been very disappointed with how they treated it. There is very little understanding of throttle VS consequence and I can only assume a child would have less of this reasoning. So I figure, instead of having to deal with the possibility of eating a $100 crash or asking the kids parents to pay for it (which I highly doubt they would in my town) I just say no.

I have had kids (mostly younger) run after and chase my trucks and cars. For the most part, if they are on foot, they can't keep up anyway. But if they are on their bikes, I just stop and leave. Im an adult with a car so i can do that. If I were a kid id be pretty upset.

At the end of the day this whole issue relates back to a HUGE problem with parenting in our society. Children do NOT understand consequence. They have not been taught that if you break it, you pay for it. If you damage it, you pay to fix it. There is NO responsibility with the vast majority of children today because parents forgot that the lesson starts with them. What does this result in? Kids miss out on opportunities to do fun things because the people who would have given them the chance can't afford the risk. Back in the day, if a kid broke something of yours, the parents would make them pay for it. Now days they say "oh, sorry about that" and leave. It sucks.

So, what did I do about this problem with my neighbours kids (who I know VERY well). I built them a slow truck to learn on. My original "loaner" pede. I let them drive it with a brushed system and if it broke, they had to give me the money for the parts before I fixed it and brought it back. It had to be cleaned and inspected after EVERY run or they were not allowed to run it the next time. After a summer of this (they are two twin boys) their dad offered to buy the truck from me as their birthday present. This worked great for kids I knew and trusted. Would I hand over the controls to even a slow brushed truck to a bunch of strangers. Nope...

[humayrayakongkinaon]

i just tell them straight out NO. i know kids will be kids and act that way, (we all kids once and doing they same thing what little kids do and was told the same thing as what adults says to you). I know when i was little kid i was told NO lots of time, LOL.

[Meebert]

Using a hobbypartz FS-GT3B transmitter I can easily adjust the endpoints of my throttle down to say, 30%. On my e-maxx I e-maxx with a 2-speed tranny I can shift into 1st gear un-noticed and it will go 15-20mph on 3s lipos (rewired to run batteries in parallel). Sometimes I get bored and just let kids drive. I had a 4wd 1/18 scale RC with 1/10 drift tires mounted, same traction as driving on ice even though it was backed by a 3s lipo system that pulled standing backflips. If a kid can break your RC at 30% throttle then the parts will not last when you are messing around at 100%, to me letting kids drive is proof that you have built your RC's right because above all it proves itself reliable. If I'm in a bad mood I drive the e-maxx up to my feet, turn it off and on again and when the ESC beeps I tell them it's indicating the batteries are dead.

[anr2442]

When i was little i hated to hear the word no. It sucked every time. But i cant think of one time i was told no without a valid reason.

I tell kids no when they ask to drive my ERBE and tell them it costs too much. But i always follow that with "but you can watch". Most people including adults dont realize the skills required to drive these things. I trusted my dad (55yrsold) to drive my ERBE in a grocery parking lot on 4s. Guess what happened. He almost broke my mothers shin! Perfect Practice makes perfect.
I have let a few kids i trusted drive it on a 4s setup maxing at 40mph... But thats after they drove on 2s for a while with me coaching them closely.

Ill never forget the time i was 12 and i had my first Nitro Rustler. I had been running it up and down the street when an older friend who i always tried to hang out with, came and watched. He asked to drive and i said sure, just be careful. First thing he does is hold full throttle and off the nitro rustler goes straight into a small ditch drainage culvert. He looked so horrified when he realized he broke it. I then was handed a $20 to cover the damages. I was so annoyed until i bought a replacement a-arm for 5 bucks!


Its all about responsibility and trust. I wouldnt trust any radom stranger to park my full size car much less drive it. Why? Bc its too expensive, i dont know them, and i dont know if they would cover damages.

[pavmentsurfer]

You know what I don't understand... why so many kids think its O.K. to ask... I would never ask a person if I could drive their expensive stuff... even if it was a toy. But today kids don't know what is appropriate. And it just sucks that their parents poor parenting skills have led the the OP's son not having fun with his sweet new truck.

Those parents should be ashamed... but they wont be. They'll blame someone else.

[Nitronaught]

I try avoiding running my RC where there are kids under the age of 10 just for safety reasons... The others,,,, they have asked but my usual answer is, I'll think about... And leave it at that...

[DiggerPede]

Pave not only that. They are not used to be getting told the word " NO ". When they do get told NO they give you this strange look. Growing up i never hounded anyone to use, or ride their stuff. If i wanted something I worked hard to get it.

[12TRAPTOR]

I would tell the kids they cant due to my personal experience. I have a traxxas ford raptor and there is a bunch of kids on the street that i live on. I had one kid deliberetly run the truck over with his bike!!!!
Broke the esc heat sink and my 2.4 ghz reciver entena. Now i loose connection every 20-25 feet!! The parents would not ever admit that there son ran it over. I know it sucks but u just got to say get out of my way!

[BEN_]

I hear you guys. My best advice would be to find a good spot where you can operate it safely.

Spectators usually don't approach me and ask to drive my Brushless E-Revo. Then again, I don't go to the park.

But when they do, I don't mind and if I feel their intentions are good I go ahead a let them drive it.

However, before hand. I let them know that it costs about $600 to replace and to go ahead and drive it like its stolen. lol no joke.

For some reason they become really apprehensive to drive it after I tell them that. And they usually drive it for a couple secs till it flips and then hand the controller back.

Their response after is usually, "That's allot harder to drive than I thought". They probably had higher expectations after watching me drive and pull off some crazy stunt.

[BEN_]

Laggy Forum = Double post.

[pavmentsurfer]

I find the older the person, the more they respect the price. My buddy, who doesnt have a good handle on money, is only 22. I let him drive my stampede and all he could do was drive it wide open and smash it into the curbs. You could tell he had no concept of broke=parts=$$

On the other hand, I had a guy who was about 50 stop by and loved watching the truck. I asked HIM if he wanted to try. Just like you said BEN... he drove it for about 30 seconds, it flipped and he said "man, thats harder than a thought". He understood cost VS responsibility. Funny how some people take a while to learn this stuff.

[YOLOer]

Most of the time I run at my house or with no one around. But if Im at a park I expect to be asked. I usually hand over the controller and let them drive, I usually offer it lol. Whats the worse that can happen on grass? Break a Arm? I would have done that anyways. But I wouldnt let anyone drive my Xo-1 because even I find it difficult to drive.

[Dknuckles]

We almost always end up with onlookers and those asking questions. If there is a large group of kids I say no politely. But if there is just a handful I don't say no at all. I enjoy watching the kids smile when they get behind it controller. I'm always careful and watch like a hawk while telling them what to or not to do.
Now when my mamba slash is finished it's going to be a flat out no unless you are an adult or family! Otherwise tahts what the pede 4x4's are for...

[iamsuperbleeder]

my nephew and a few of his friends were like that one day out in front of my house on my street when I was seeing how the Slash 4x4 was running with the new higher gearing. I've let my nephew drive the truck plenty of times before (on training mode mind you), and I have no problem letting HIM drive the truck. he asked me if he could drive it this time, and I just told him "maybe later bud", meaning, once everyone else wasn't around, because then they'd all want to drive, and so on and so forth... after dropping over $1000 into a truck, it's hard to hand over the controller to someone else, MUCH LESS someone you know has no knowledge about how to drive the truck, or RC's in general. but anyhow, they were sort of doing the same thing; one kid was trying to throw pine cones at it another would try to run out in front of it and make it drive between his legs. worst off, they liked to chase it, which isn't good at all because when I go to stop, they're going to keep on coming and probably step on the truck, but worse than that probably trip over it and hurt themselves. I had to ask them more times than I can count to please stop chasing it and throwing stuff at it. well it looked like they all walked away and got preoccupied with something else behind me, so I figured I'd make a quick couple of speed passes before the lipo died all the way. well, they weren't all behind me... I made one clean pass, and it felt good, but the truck felt like it had more. went to make another pass, and about 2 seconds after hitting full throttle, one of his friends comes jumping out in front of the truck... I try to swerve and lay on the brakes, the truck rolls, starts going end over end, the kid froze, and it ended up hitting him right in the waste easily at 15-20mph, knocked him to the ground, and you can imagine how horrible I felt... he was fine; a little shaken up and scared, but it didn't even leave so much as a bruise on him. BUT, they all stay off the street and FAR away from both me and my RC's when I'm out testing now I'm not saying that's what it inevitably needs to come to, lol, but this is just my story.

kids will in fact be kids. about the only thing I can think of in your situation is to just do like you did the first time and just try to drive the car later when everyone else isn't around, or pack up and drive down the road to a parking lot or a park and drive it there. sometimes the little father and son outings like that are more fun and more memorable than just taking it out in the front yard

[NewbieToTraxxas]

Since I am not an adult this gets infinately more complicated. I've never had someone crash it bad. I was just watching a couple guys with crawlers a few weeks ago and i didn't dream of asking! Even though my heart burned to try I understand how expensive they are and more importantly that it is not mine to play with. But i normally say in a few minutes until i run the battery very low.

[slowenuff]

If you regularly run your kit in your neighborhood you probably know the kids. Which means you know the ones that are really interested in beginning the hobby and which are probably gonna be obnoxious pains in the "who who". For the kids that are actually interested give em a tower hobbies magazine (most of us probably have a stack of em) . If you see the horde of little orcs coming, pack up and drive or ride a bike to your local business park.

[bajaboy501]

I havent run into kids asking me to run my cars they all just watch in amazement at how fast they go. I have a two wheel drive slash that I carry with me (was my first hobby grade rc and I kept it) sometimes just so I can let kids drive it instead of my jato, or my EREVOBE, or my nitro buggy. They drive it for a few seconds then run to the parents and ask for one. The adults are the ones that I have to watch out for, they get really pushy sometimes like I have the money to buy one just let me drive yours if it breaks it breaks. People that dont know they hobby have no understanding of the cost of the cars, they think they come from walmart lol.

[phowler]

It's nice to know I'm not the only one who deals with this. When they try to get close to it I tell them to get away and when they ask to drive it I tell them NO! I'm not real nice about it either. See the only kids who come running are the ones whos welfare mothers I'm already supporting so there's no way they can afford the fix or the hobby. Also I don't even want these kids in my yard because if they get hurt I'm sure their entitlement mentality mothers will see dollar signs and sue me. It actually angers me when they won't leave, I only have so much time off with my son so when these little rats screw it up I'm not happy.

[holeyguy66]

i have that issue here. except when i run it in the street here kids wanna try to stop it and jump in front of it. they just dont get how dangerous it is to do that with a 10 pound nitro at 40-50 mph. i actually hit a bigger kid in the ankle at my old house after telling him to move three dif times and when i brought it back around wot smack right in the ankle. felt kinda bad but i told him 3 times nicely

[MOPAR MARV]

That is why I still have some of my old Radio Shack toy grade digital RCs.

If any of the local kids or my friend's kids want to play,out comes my old Desert Viper or my old Rock Runner,if they break it that's that,no more RC fun for that kid. So far the worst they have done is a bent half shaft.

As for my hobby grade toys,they get told flat out that they are way too fast and way too expensive for them to play with until they can handle one of the old toys to my satisfaction.

And so far it has worked like a charm,now a few even come over and ask my daughter if I can come out and play,lol.

[BanditTransit]

I tell them that it is too fast for you. That shuts them up quick. Most of the kids ignore it. Sometimes, a nut job will try to take the remote away from me. I just push them into the grass XD Anyways, most of the kids when I go camping love the thing, and understand that they can't drive it.

[PFC FONG]

I run my crawlers in the back yard where they can't see them lol. At my LHS rock course they always want to watch, and if it is a regular there or the kids parent(s) is watching as well I will let them take it for a spin. When I run my Slash at the LHS track, no one asks. At home, I will let the neighbor's little girl take it for a spin and thats about it. The others like to just watch it. Only problem I had was a teenage punk run it over for not letting him drive it. He failed to damage anything, just dented the body. So I ran it full speed into the back of his front wheel "on accident" when he went to ride past again. He went over the handlebars and all the little kids just laughed at him. Never saw him on my street again.