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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to ask if bicycle towing a child carrier looks unbelievably unsafe?

367 replies

longwayoff · 04/03/2019 07:35

I don't spend much time in traffic but noticed one of these the other day which made me feel a bit concerned. Today, the Mail has video of someone crossing 3 lanes of traffic with one attached. They look dangerous on so many levels. How can they be legal?

OP posts:
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6
JRMisOdious · 04/03/2019 17:38

I wear hi-viz when I’m walking my dog at night. Just common sense really: otherwise drivers wouldn’t necesssrily see me crossing the road. Even more important for a cyclist sharing the same space as cars, to keep themselves safe, would have thought?

Amummyatlast · 04/03/2019 18:10

Three things I have seen with cyclists over the past week:

  1. Cyclist with no lights and dressed all in black driving along in areas where street lights are far apart (thank god I saw him in the well lit part and kept an eye out for him)

  2. Cyclist emerged from a walled car park looking at his phone. He never saw me. Fortunately I was almost stationary as he emerged, knowing there was poor visibility. I then proceeded to watch him fall off his bike (I was not moving and did not startle him).

  3. A different cyclist cycling along the busy high street with no helmet on, looking at his phone and weaving in and out.

But of course it must be victim blaming to say they were at fault if involved in an accident.

AliceAforethought · 04/03/2019 18:12

Amummyatlast

Cyclists are never to blame for accidents. Ever. According to MN anyway!

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 04/03/2019 18:32

What about motor cyclists? Is it victim blaming to make them wear crash helmets

Motorcycle helmets are very different to cycle helmets - they aren't really comparable.

Cyclists are never to blame for accidents

Generally speaking this is correct which is why we need to get strict liability in this country. As a car driver you are in charge of something that will kill or main the human body very very easily. It is the car drivers responsibility to drive in a manner that allows them to avoid cyclists who swerve or fall or who are just around a bend, or less visible.

ivykaty44 · 04/03/2019 18:44

If only hi viz was as affective as you think

road.cc/content/news/232944-study-finds-wearing-hi-vis-can-increase-chance-collision-while-cycling

Unfortunately it isn’t and in some case can camouflage

I wear red in daylight

But if a driver isn’t looking they will never see me - and that’s the problem, motorists need to look

AIBU to ask if bicycle towing a child carrier looks unbelievably unsafe?
ivykaty44 · 04/03/2019 18:46

It’s illegal to not wear a motorbike helmet, it’s not illegal to ride a bike without a helmet

Grinchly · 04/03/2019 18:53

@legalseagull what do you mean, thank God it was a dog? Angry

teyem · 04/03/2019 18:56

Legal probably has that rare MN trait of giving more of a shit about humans than dogs. Imagine that? Shock

ivykaty44 · 04/03/2019 18:57

Amummyatlast

Why do you mention the cyclist wasn’t wearing a helmet? It’s not a legal requirement

A cyclist looking at their phone and not concentrating is going to hurt themselves, riding without lights is illegal. Weaving through traffic - really was the cyclists riding faster than the other traffic?

jasjas1973 · 04/03/2019 18:57

Cyclists are never to blame for accidents. Ever. According to MN anyway!

Now you're talkin!!!! lol!
The hate given out to cyclist on social media, inc here is mainstream.

You ve completed missed the point that cycle helmets are not a legal requirement and research shows they are quite ineffective in regard to collisions with cars/lorries etc.

imho what matters is what a driver does when he sees a cyclist; are they just an annoyance, to be passed asap or a human being who should be given some consideration and not passed at 50mph 2 feet from their elbow.

BUT some cyclists are bloody stupid, dark clothing, no lights, no intention to move aside when safe to do so, on phone, not paying attention... however when or if they crash, the car driver will have a dented wing and the cyclist will be dead or seriously injured.

anyhow, i spent many happy miles around the lanes of Cornwall with my DD in her cycle seat when she was young, she loved being out and about, we'd stop for lunch and she gained a love of nature and to be active.

Would i have taken her on an A road in plymouth? no.

pineappletower · 04/03/2019 19:06

I recall a thread on another forum where an older lady had knocked a young male cyclist off his bike. She was driving at a low speed and he was unhurt. He'd driven straight across a pedestrian crossing at speed despite the red man being lit. A cyclist on said forum said it was absolutely the fault of the driver. This attitude seems to pervade. I cannot fathom it.

ivykaty44 · 04/03/2019 19:07

Can I just give a quick heads up to those of you wearing hi viz at night....

Hi viz uses UV light to work and unfortunately at night there isn’t much UV light about.

Therefore if you are concerned about being seen at night you’ll be much better choosing reflective strips that show up under artificial light

Amummyatlast · 04/03/2019 19:19

really was the cyclists riding faster than the other traffic?

I’m not sure what you mean. I said he was weaving in and out. As in weaving across the road - not going in a straight line.

legalseagull · 04/03/2019 19:19

@Grinchly yea amazingly I was happier the tiny tinfoil blanket was covering a dead dog than a dead toddler.

Grinchly · 04/03/2019 19:25

How did you know ?

AliceAforethought · 04/03/2019 19:26

You ve completed missed the point that cycle helmets are not a legal requirement and research shows they are quite ineffective in regard to collisions with cars/lorries etc

That wasn’t the point I was addressing, though. The point was whether or not it is victim blaming to advise cyclists to wear helmets. Whether or not they are a legal requirement, it is still a good idea to wear one. I certainly always do.

As for their effectiveness you say they may be more helpful at lower speed crashes, but I’m not sure what your point is? A cyclist travelling in rush hour through slow moving traffic will not have a high speed crash, but still may be involved in accident where a helmet would help minimise injury. A cyclist may be in an accident that doesn’t involve a motor vehicle, but where a helmet may help.
My DDs boyfriend was hit by a car as he went round a roundabout in town on his bike, not quickly (and not his fault, he had right of way); a friend of mine lost control of her bike going down a hill she knew well (brake problem) and crashed into a wall. Her helmet was smashed and her shoulder injured but her head was fine.
Sure, don’t wear one if you don’t want to, but we don’t know where or when an accident will happen, nor what the nature of it will be.

clairemcnam · 04/03/2019 19:30

A helmet wont work at a high speed collision because the cyclist will be dead.
If you survive then a helmet will help.

Vulpine · 04/03/2019 19:38

Drivers going through red lights, drivers on mobile phones, drivers tailgating, drivers speeding, drivers pulling out of junctions without adequately looking, drivers not indicating to turn, drivers cutting up other road users. These are all things I witness on a daily basis and are all potentially lethal but let's save our moral outrage for those cyclists who cycle badly because they're the real menace on our roads Hmm

legalseagull · 04/03/2019 19:43

@Grinchly because the cyclist was still there and told people. The police were also telling onlookers who were understandably horrified that a child might have died. The following day flowers and a picture of the dog were put up. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs and have one myself. But of course I was glad it was a dog rather than a baby/toddler, who wouldn't be?!!

jacksonmaine · 04/03/2019 19:45

I was driving behind one a little while ago and the DF took a corner too fast and the carrier turned over. The child's head hit the floor hard. Sad I stopped to see if they were alright. DC was screaming Sad

Awful things, idiots that take them on roads.

WiggleXX · 04/03/2019 19:59

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AngelaHodgeson · 04/03/2019 20:08

Some drivers/cyclists are idiots and all drivers/cyclists are human. Best to avoid an accident / reduce the injury wherever practicable rather than look for who to blame after the fact. So I wear a helmet for cycling, look before crossing even on a green man, and always wear a seatbelt.

That said, I can't stand aggressive drivers and think that tailgating and overtaking too close to cyclist/horse riders should be punished far more than it is.

Wrt the trailers in the OP, I don't understand how they can possibly pass the same safety tests as children's car seats, but if they do then fair enough. If not then they shouldn't be legal to use of the road.

ivykaty44 · 04/03/2019 20:12

Vulpine it does seem bizarre that whilst drivers can kill in a car and regularly do through the day, cyclists seem to take the brunt of moral outrage

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 04/03/2019 20:14

The child's head hit the floor hard. sad I stopped to see if they were alright. DC was screaming sad

In a trailer? That shouldn't be possible if the child is correctly secured. The five point seatbelt attached to the roll cage wouldn't allow the body to move enough for the head (or any other part of the body) to hit the ground.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 04/03/2019 20:15

Vulpine it does seem bizarre that whilst drivers can kill in a car and regularly do through the day

And generally with no consequences whatsoever for the driver.

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