Rules and regulations concerning driving and riding have changed over the years in the Netherlands. In the old days for instance one could obtain an 'L-plate',
stick it on ones motorbike and start practicing riding it. No drivers license needed. And there were few rules attached to it. Do not drive on the motorway and do not carry a passenger. I did not care about the first rule as riding on motorways is very boring anyway. They are fairly straight over here. A different thing altogether was the latter. Unfortunately, riding a motorbike coincided with having girl-friends. However, the cure was very simple. By sticking the 'L-plate' under ones saddle, no one could tell it was a novices' motorbike. And you could ride around with your girlfriend snug behind you on the saddle anywhere you wanted. Life could not get any better. I thought.
stick it on ones motorbike and start practicing riding it. No drivers license needed. And there were few rules attached to it. Do not drive on the motorway and do not carry a passenger. I did not care about the first rule as riding on motorways is very boring anyway. They are fairly straight over here. A different thing altogether was the latter. Unfortunately, riding a motorbike coincided with having girl-friends. However, the cure was very simple. By sticking the 'L-plate' under ones saddle, no one could tell it was a novices' motorbike. And you could ride around with your girlfriend snug behind you on the saddle anywhere you wanted. Life could not get any better. I thought.
Sadly, these times are far behind us. Nowadays one is allowed to drive a car from the age of 17, having a coach sitting on the passengers seat till being 18. It is even more complicated for bikers. One can sit a theoretical exam when being 17, but only start taking practical lessons when reaching the 
age of 18. How stupid is that? Sitting on one's hands for about a year. Very demotivating. And it even gets worse because you are not allowed to drive a proper bike
age of 18. How stupid is that? Sitting on one's hands for about a year. Very demotivating. And it even gets worse because you are not allowed to drive a proper bike
till you are 24. To me, driving a donkey cart is even more attractive and a lot more challenging than looking silly riding a moped. No wonder that the average age of bikers is rising fast.
Things are looking better though, as youngsters are looking for ways to get around the system. All aimed at getting to enjoy riding. Sometimes they have their spelling totally wrong though. I mean 'enjoy riding' is totally different from 'joyriding'. Not everyone seems to get it, I noticed the other day.
'Joyrider, aged 13, stopped in Den Bosch'
Not always by the police either. As sane people know, even a small tree will beat the average car in a direct confrontation most of the times. And there are plenty of trees willing to give it a go too. I would advice not to get overconfident and try to beat the foliage. Stay on tarmac. 
Unless you are driving a tank of course. The history of tanks beating trees goes back as far as the first World War. But they are a little hard to come by. Tanks that is. Unlike during the period when discussions about acid rain affecting the forests in industrialized societies, trees nowadays are standing tall.
So, what to do about it? I see a huge potential for farmers. Huhh? Yep, agricultural entrepreneurs. With the prices for the crops they used to grow hardly keeping pace with the rate of inflation, the idea of allocating a piece of land to help youngsters master the art of riding, or driving for that matter, must be very tempting. There is a lot of money to be made you know. It surely beats breeding pigs or chasing free range chickens.
Nobody gets hurt, no trees are attacked and youngsters get in touch with life in the countryside. A win-win situation I would say...
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