you know those carriages that attach to the back of bikes for children to sit in

[stottiecake]

Don't you think they are a bit risky?

Saw a chap on a bike pulling a small child along in one of these today.

Surely if children have to be in car seats when travelling in cars then perhaps you shouldn't be allowed to pull little ones around in canvas trolleys on busy roads???

YANBU

We have a couple of these in our village and the mums ride them down busy windy rural roads. I personally think they look really dangerous and could easily go under a van / 4x4 wheels if the driver didn't see them. They just look far too close to the ground for my liking...

But then i am quite a paranoid Mum.

I'm thinking about getting one. I do worry about it but dd's too big for a bike seat and too small for a tag on. I can't see as I have another choice. I don't drive.

Hate them. Extend your own bike(which most drivers are blissfully ignorant about)another 6 feet so when you go through a junction your children are still in the line of fire of drivers jumping lights/thinking you have gone through etc etc..
Should be ok if you have put an orange flag on top of the carriage though!

He was at a busy junction in town too. Just didn't look at all safe!

Wondered if I was being a killjoy/ paranoid mum!

LOL at orange flag...

He had an orange flag on the top but the jumping light scenario did spring to mind.

They look great for cycle paths.
No way for an actual road though.

Car seats are designed for high speed impacts. A bicycle is unlikely to cause a high speed impact (e.g. by driving into a wall), cars tend to give "weird" cyclists e.g those with trailers, or riding recumbents more room as they are not quite sure what they are. And the cyclist in question will be super careful about cars around them.

Chariot Trailers (for example) have been thoroughly crash tested which shows that in a glancing impact from a car (most likely),the trailer is most likely to just skite sideways and remain upright. Also if the cyclist should happen to fall off their bike, the trailer will remain upright.

Most trailers have a similar safety system i.e. safety harness firmly which attaches child to trailer "roll cage".

Its like everything - depends on your perception of risk AIBU to want to use a sling, even though I might fall and crush my child?

And reading above post - trailers are always provided with a (decent) flag on a long pole for visibility....

See your point ItsAllGoingToBeFine.
But if the trailer was hit hard from the side the child wouldn't stand much of a chance.
I think they look like great fun but not for busy roads.
But you are right - everything is a risk at the end of the day.

What about exhaust fumes?

I cycle with DS in a back seat, but am uncomfortable about the idea of trailers. I know two people who use them, though, and have never had a safety problem.

I also cycled through both my pregnancies, and IME the people who typically express lots of concern about cycling with children (whether in womb, seat or trailer) are not actually cyclists themselves and really don't know anything about what it's like to cycle on the roads full-stop. So they tend to rely on their imaginations rather than on facts.

When I cycle pregnant/ with child on back seat, I am always far more cautious (not slow; just far more aware) than at any other time. So I am also much safer than at any other time.

I used one, partly because I could put two children in it. I was always given a much wider berth when towing than when cycling alone.

Oh God it terrifies me. But then I get scared watching toddlers strapped onto the back of bikes in those seats, their little heads bobbing about in a vulnerable fashion. Never never never.

But if you walk across a busy road, holding your child's hand, there is no protective structure around the child at all. Yet we all do this from time to time. If you really thought about things, you'd never bring your child outside the front door.

But it's all about risk management. You cross a road, you don't walk your entire journey in the road.

I see the point about cars giving them a wide berth but they still worry me. But TBH I wouldn't cycle by myself on a road because I think it is too dangerous.

And a sling is different - most decent slings hold a baby in a position you might carry them in anyway. You automatically put your arms out if you fall and this would offer some protection to a baby in a sling.

I'm so glad I'm not alone on this. I used to be in rush hour traffic and watch some silly cow turn right into it then dodge in and out like a motorcyclist avoiding oncoming traffic. My BIL had one when nieces were smaller but he lives on Guernsey and that's where I'd keep them.

We've used one, and while I'd never ever use it on rural roads or in busy traffic, when we actually set it up and used it we were surprised how solid and well-designed it was. DS wore a helmet and there's a pretty good safety harness. Provided they were strapped in, I feel they'd be quite safe unless something actually drove right over the top - should it tip over they're well-protected.

Everything in life is risky tho. Personally I think we should reduce the risk by cuttign hte number of cars rather than banning the bikes and trailers. Drivers who arent aware of what is on the road around them should not be on the road IMO and the penalties for dangerous driving should be much higher and more people should be banned more often for the stupid things they do when in charge fo a veichle.

Agree with its allgoingtobefine. We have a trailer for our two little DCs - both wear helmets. We use it on clear straight roads with 30 limits which lead to the nearest park or on pavement/off road cycle paths. DH cycles with the trailer and I cycle behind a few metres back and where the corner of the trailer extends into the road so when a car overtakes me, they're already far out enough to overtake the trailer plus bike.

If you are used to cycling and are a careful cyclist anyway, trailers are not dangerous. If I were cycling on a busy road, I would prefer a kangaroo to a trailer.

Was it BetaDad with the hilarious story about realising it had suddenly got much easier to pedal, and looking round to find that the trailer had fallen off the back?

I have a colleague who announced her pregancy by buying a Kangaroo. Except no-one was quite sure whether she was pregnant, or just meant to do a lot of heavy shopping by bike.

YABU

Round here literally hundreds of people use them, all sorts of different varieties, and because cars get used to them and they are seen as the norm they haven't resulted in lots of accidnets. They are actually considered retty safe.

Cyclists (with or without trailers) have just as much right to use the roads as drivers. And the more people who do, the more drivers will get used to them and drive safely around them.

I think the best ones are the bikes with the trailer at the front, they seem more stable somehow.

I don't know. It's all about risk management. I don't mind my DS taking a little risk. He has been cycling on main roads since he was 5.