To think this is so unsafe…

[MyBadHabitsLeadToYou]

Parents with toddlers on the back of the bike, cycling on busy city roads with the buses and the crazy drivers.

Howwww is this legal?! When the rules on car seats are so strict.

And don’t even start me on those flimsy trailer things that are so low down they couldn’t be seen from a large car.

Am I missing something??

Cyclists' exceptionalism. Didn't you know?

I agree. I’m astounded.

Trailers are actually safer than the seats...

Well in the city no ones really going faster than 10 miles an hour (it's 3.4 miles an hour average in London) whereas car seats are to cover the country on motorways I guess

I'd never thought about it in comparison to the safety requirements in a car, for some odd reason.
I've just always been in awe of people who are confident and hip enough to do it.

I'd think the trailers were safer than the seats

I've never heard of anyone getting hurt in these trailer or bike seats either

My trailer has a massive flag on the back for that reason…
Most do.

Yep, shocking. And not just on busy city roads either. Today I encountered one of those flimsy behind kiddy trailers on a hilly b road with a sheer drop down into a field below on one side. The type of road where there's no fence and you could literally just fall off the edge. Said road was also very twisty/turny so I encountered these two bikes, one with trailer with also zero warning as I went round a bend. You won't be surprised to know the road was also very narrow, so difficult to get round them whilst watching for oncoming cars round another bend. Absolutely an accident waiting to happen 😓

Perfectly safe if you can ride a bicycle properly. All of my DC were carried on the back of my bike from about 6 months old.
Presumably you don’t do this, so why are you concerned?

What about drivers who can’t drive properly though??

But cars are really heavy and go really fast.

Presumably you don’t do this, so why are you concerned?

It is precisely why many of us don't. Because it is fucking dangerous. I assume you do. You hugely risk the safety of your children.

I suspect you don't care as long as your cyclist privilege is upheld.

Someone in my town has their small child in one of these and I really hate seeing it, they go so fast down the middle of busy roads and there’s nothing protecting the kid at all! So low to the ground and they could easily stick their arms or legs out and get hurt. I think cargo bikes/cargo trikes are the best option for transporting kids.

Not sure the picture attached!

You're comparing a car traveling up to 70mph with a child in a car seat to a bike traveling below 15mph with a child in a bike seat

Hardly an even comparison

But…what if a car travelling at 30mph hits your bike with your exposed little toddler on the back of it??

Why do I need to explain this 🤯

@MyBadHabitsLeadToYou

What about drivers who can’t drive properly though??

What about them?

Feel fee to find stats for children being killed in bike seats and compare that to children being killed in cars.

In fact,let me find some facts for you;

125 people died in the roads in London, of which 68 were pedestrians.
5 people died in a bike.

Basically its far nor likely your child to I'll get hurt crossing the road than on a bike.

www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/assembly/caroline-russell/125-deaths-on-london-roads-and-more-kids-cycling

Those wooden trailers with kids rattling around without helmets in London drive me nuts - parents should be arrested !! I bet they have the SAFEST car seats in their cars !! Mental

@MyBadHabitsLeadToYou

But…what if a car travelling at 30mph hits your bike with your exposed little toddler on the back of it??

Why do I need to explain this 🤯

Drivers clearly need to be far more aware of cyclists if this is a concern

*You're comparing a car traveling up to 70mph with a child in a car seat to a bike traveling below 15mph with a child in a bike seat

Hardly an even comparison*

You have CLEARLY not seen the result of the two colliding.

We had a seat that went onto the crossbar. Our DD could see better, better centre of gravity and safer than on the back. Still didn't really go anywhere busy with her.im though, mainly cycle paths.
I know what you mean about those trailers.

But what are you supposed to do if you don't own a car or don't drive?

Sometimes people with a car forget that actually it's risky in itself. I appreciate carseats help reduce that risk, but it's still risky.

Until recently we didn't have a car. We used to take the bus everywhere, often on busy roads / long rural routes as we just had to. There is no requirement for car seats on buses as it would be completely impractical. But applying your logic about bikes to buses would mean that children should never go on a bus either.

I'm a bit stumped as to how anyone without a car could possibly get around with their children beyond a few miles of their house if they weren't allowed to take children on bikes / buses.

And of course the main issue with safety for bikes is the number of vehicles on the road. Surely the solution should be for us to reduce the number of cars on the road, not try to discourage people from not using a car?

*bike even!