WIBU to tell biking parents that their kid isn't safe behind them?

[matildamatilda]

When did this become a thing? Whenever I see parents riding bicycles along the road with their kids, the kids are behind.

Most of the time the kids seem to be handling things fine. However a couple of times in the past few months I've seen kids who were really struggling. Standing up to pedal up a hill, weaving about dangerously close to traffic.

I very nearly stopped to tell off a parent today. He was blithely biking along a country road whilst his kid (maybe 10yo) was struggling along behind, pretty much in the middle of the road. Other cars squeezed by the kid but I held back until the road got wider. We reached a bend and I thought, okay surely the father will turn around now and realise what's happening. But no, father goes coasting down a hill, oblivious.

The more I think of it, the more I should have flagged down the father and pointed out what was happening. Would you have?

I've seen this and it worries me too, especially since with the noise of traffic I doubt very much if the parent would be able to hear the child call.

It's not just traffic id be worried about. What about pot holes, drain covers, branches etc. etc. or maybe just a puncture or a big gust of wind?! If the child comes off the bike and the parent is too far to be able to hear it could be a whe before they are even aware.

Going to get flamed but bikes piss me right off on the road!
I take a car as I need to get somewhere faster than 7moh!

Locket I'd LOVE to get somewhere faster but can't afford a car. Shall I crawl in the ditch so you're not pissed off by me?

Rinochicken - pot holes, drain covers, branches etc is another reason why the parent should be in front - so they hit them first, and can shout back a warning, or change route. And cyclists should be looking behind them constantly, even when they don't have a child following.

Locketjuice - it's late and I can't be arsed flaming... I'll just say that I used to dislike encountering cyclists on the road when I was driving too - but I was 100% aware that it was because I was a shit driver.

No thank you, my DD was always in front so I could instruct, keep watch and assess. I don't have eyes in the back if my head.

Reminds me of when I went out in my horse with a friend and her son. She led, he went behind and I followed behind. We had a car behind us and she got annoyed saying why didn't the car behind just pass, I said it because DS's pony wasn't over to the side.

She maintained he was safe and she didn't know she had him with her when they went out, I took him out on my own once and went behind so I could keep an eye.

With kids, the danger is most often in what they can't do or do do in error, not hazards from others.

I've been "hit" by a car before in a very undramatic fashion (it was really minor). It was a car rolling out from a stop sign onto a main road that didn't see me. I view this as the bigger risk in busy residential areas.