Gawnsoft wrote:
> On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 11:45:13 GMT, JohnB <[email protected]> wrote (more
> or less):
>
>
>>By definition an emergency stop cannot be planned for, and will be
>>completely unexpected but the potential effects of one can be reduced.
>>One of the most common reasons for a rapid or immediate stop is when a
>>vehicle pulls out in front of a cyclist - a typical SMIDSY.
>>
>>Anything loose - will be flung forward - in this case a child. An
>>unrestrained child on the front may be propelled at speed off the bike
>>and into the vehicle or on to the road or into the handlebar clutter.
>>Alternatively they may be crushed by the adult as they too move forward.
>>In addition, with the weight on the front the chance of a
>>head-over-the-handlebars situation increases.
>>
>>Worse still is if the rider hits the obstruction and doesn't even manage
>>to stop. The immediate forces will propel the child and/or rider.
>>
>>Yes, there are also risks from having the child on the rear or in a
>>trailer but they are lower. The child will still be propelled forward if
>>in a rear seat, but at least they will have something soft in front of
>>them and not have the weight of an adult (or bike) bearing on them from behind.
>>
>>One favourable aspect of having the child on the front is that the
>>parent/rider can feel closer to the child and thus the 'bonding' and
>>interaction is more pleasant. then again they are not protected from the
>>elements and a young child feels cold to a much greater extent than adults.
>>
>>IMO this is a no-brainer.
>>Carrying children on the front of bikes has far more risks than on the
>>rear and is not something I would ever advise.
>
>
> Hmmm - I'd say that the primary safety is higher with front seats,
> even if I agree with you about secondary safety.
>
> Mainly for when parking up, or pushing the bike, admnittedly. But
> having the seat nearer the CoG means fewer bizarre torques tending to
> make the bike fall over.
It seems to me that John B (and others) are performing the usual "safety
enthusiast" trick: visualizing all possible scenarios, and fixating on
the worst case scenario.
Is pushing a bike with a baby seat more difficult than pushing an
unladen bike? Yes, by a small amount. Is it beyond the capability of
an ordinary human being? Hardly.
Can the rider take a fall when riding with the child in a seat? I
suppose so. Does it happen often? Very doubtful. (Of the hundreds of
cyclists I know, I've never heard of this happening.) Would the child
be seriously injured? Very, very doubtful.
In my view, these worries are part of the "Bicycling is extremely
dangerous" mindset, generated by an ultra-safe society where the minimum
daily requirements of fears have to be manufactured out of nothing.
Again, if someone is going to claim baby seats on bikes are so very
dangerous, I think they should present data showing it's true. As it
is, they are still selling at reasonable prices in the most litigious
country in the world. AFAIK, the CPSC, the NHTSA, Safe Kids Inc., and
the National Association of Worriers and Handwringers have not
campaigned against them at all. That puts their danger level below that
of (horrors!) playgrounds without rubber padding.
--
--------------------+
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]