The French government has pledged a new crackdown against illicit motorbike cruising by youths in suburbs across the country after two children were seriously injured by a rider near Paris at the weekend, reports RFI.
Rowdy late-night races and stunts known as "rodeos" have become increasingly popular in low-income neighbourhoods in particular, leading to traffic and noise disruption that has been denounced by local officials and many residents.
On Friday evening, a 10-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy were hit by a rider while playing outside their home in Pontoise, north-west of the capital.
French daily Le Figaro reported on Monday that the girl suffered a traumatic blow to the head and remains in serious condition at hospital, while the boy has a broken leg.
The accident came after a 19-year-old man was killed in June after being hit by a bike rider in the western city of Rennes.