How do you feel about child seats on bikes?



Modern child seats are very safe. The one we use has straps and surrounds the child and protects them in case of a fall. They wear a helmet too. We also use pull behind carts. They are designed to not tip over in an accident.

In 30 years of lots of family biking we have never had a problem. In European countries is is perfectly normal to carry children on bike handlebars and racks and such. I think we get a bit too worried these days!
 
I never ride a small child. I get the she chills. I feel as though I can fall or make a blunder anytime. Whenever I am about to fall I jump from the bike. I can not do this with a child.
 
It isn't any more dangerous than transporting them in a car if they are 2 or older. I rode with my dad when I was a toddler. I'm 40 so that was a long time ago when the available seats weren't nearly as good. You shouldn't take babies, especially if they aren't old enough to support their neck and head on their own but toddlers are fine. Just ride safely and choose the safest possible route. Pay attention to your surroundings.
 
I like those small carriages better, when the child is on a bicycle with you it is easier to fall over I guess.
 
Reading some of the replies to this topic could make one think that people fall more than they ride. I don't know about anyone else but I rarely if ever fall on a bike or drop a bike. Modern child carry seats are very good at protecting a child in the event of a fall as well. Don't let paranoia color your thinking on this topic. If you put a child in a car or walk across a street with a child they are already in more danger than they would be on your bike assuming you ride safely and have a proper seat for the child.
 
I didn't think people did this anymore. I haven't seen it in quite some time. No. I don't agree with it. Maybe a three wheeler with a basket on the back. Perhaps one of these big bench bikes with the canopy for a day out.o_O
 
I think that seats are a lot safer than they used to be, however I would never want to take a child on the road because I don't think it's safe enough. I would worry about what would happen if there was an accident, because of the fact that the car seat is attached to the bike and the child wouldn't be able to save themselves. I think that if you're going for a ride in the countryside or in a park it's different, but I would never want to use a child seat on a main road.
 
Fundamentally I think it is perfectly ok, but I grew up somewhere it is normal (same as guns in US perhaps ;-) ).
The main problem is that it is a limited period of the child's life it works: less than 15 months their neck muscles are not strong enough to control the head; and most seats only cope up to 20 kg (45 lbs) or so. But we have tried that, trailers as well as half bikes. All have their places
 
I didn't think people did this anymore. I haven't seen it in quite some time. No. I don't agree with it. Maybe a three wheeler with a basket on the back. Perhaps one of these big bench bikes with the canopy for a day out.o_O

Adding wheels doesn't impact the safety. If you knew how the seats protected the child and were a competent rider I doubt you would arbitrarily decide they are to dangerous.
 
Reading some of the replies to this topic could make one think that people fall more than they ride. I don't know about anyone else but I rarely if ever fall on a bike or drop a bike. Modern child carry seats are very good at protecting a child in the event of a fall as well. Don't let paranoia color your thinking on this topic. If you put a child in a car or walk across a street with a child they are already in more danger than they would be on your bike assuming you ride safely and have a proper seat for the child.
Lol, I think the fear of falling is worse then the fall itself. I think if people didn't have their child behind them they would think twice of grabbing a bike but having the responsibility of someone else's safety changes things.
 
My dad never used a child seat and I turned out fine.. I think? Child seats are obviously a lot safer than not having one all together and I'd just sit on the back of my dad's seat and hold on. If you're constantly worrying about the safety of your child then I'd say probably avoid buying one; as you'd just get more and more paranoid and end up not using the thing anyway.

Also why are you worrying about her baby? I'm sure she's put enough thought in to that and honestly baby seats are fairly safe and rarely have I heard of any mishaps happening.
 
I do not condone that child seat like that on the bike. If the rider fell, the baby would go down with her and that is just a frightening thing to think about. A baby trailer would be much more safer.
 
My dad never used a child seat and I turned out fine.. I think? Child seats are obviously a lot safer than not having one all together and I'd just sit on the back of my dad's seat and hold on. If you're constantly worrying about the safety of your child then I'd say probably avoid buying one; as you'd just get more and more paranoid and end up not using the thing anyway.

Also why are you worrying about her baby? I'm sure she's put enough thought in to that and honestly baby seats are fairly safe and rarely have I heard of any mishaps happening.
Besides the dent on the left side of your head and the scare that runs straight over your right eye you sure did. Don't worry I won't tell anyone about the limp. :p
But seriously I think people are over protective of there kids, I understand that people might be reluctant at first but once they get out there that fear will disappear.
 
Seriously - most people take it a bit more easy and ride (or drive) more defensively when they get children and have them along. You may want to select your routes more carefully but to me it is plenty safe. In my native Denmark they are regarded as a standard mode of transport, and I do not remember them mentioned as particularly risky. In the one fatal accident I remember both mother and child was killed by a truck.

In any case, babies are, as I wrote, too young. They need to be toddler-size to manage their heads.
 
If you are nervous, then you probably shouldn't do it. Is riding in a car safer? Probably, but I also know plenty of drivers I wouldn't allow my kids to ride with and I'd give second thought to getting in the car with them.

As for me, I'm fine with it. My son and his family live in Portland OR and they have a "Portland mini-van" bike. Both grandsons ride in their seats behind him. His wife rides her bike separately. I rode one of his bikes and we all went to dinner about 3 miles from their house through the back streets of the NW quarter. It was delightful. The boys clearly love doing it until they're big enough to ride themselves. If they're old enough to hold their heads up, they're fine.

Brian in VA
 
I've seen a few of these in my time but I've never used one and to be honest I don't think I would either. While I'm sure they're very safe and secure, I just wouldn't fancy riding with a baby/child strap on to the back of the bike, and if I go anywhere and would have to take the kid, I'd just jump in the car.
 
If you are nervous, then you probably shouldn't do it. Is riding in a car safer? Probably, but I also know plenty of drivers I wouldn't allow my kids to ride with and I'd give second thought to getting in the car with them.

As for me, I'm fine with it. My son and his family live in Portland OR and they have a "Portland mini-van" bike. Both grandsons ride in their seats behind him. His wife rides her bike separately. I rode one of his bikes and we all went to dinner about 3 miles from their house through the back streets of the NW quarter. It was delightful. The boys clearly love doing it until they're big enough to ride themselves. If they're old enough to hold their heads up, they're fine.

Brian in VA

I seriously doubt that riding a car, walking or even crossing the street is safer. I'll have to google for stats but I'm willing to bet that if there is a legitimate comparison of accident data between children in bike safety seats and children in cars that cars are going to be worse even if you account for quantity.
 
Based on miles traveled, Jcycle, I think you're probably correct. I haven't looked for data on it yet but it sure makes sense to me.
 
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You can't just say "that looks dangerous" and be done with it.
You need to look at the benefits of an activity, how often something is likely to go wrong and what's most likely to happen when it does.
Let's assume that a reasonably careful adult can ride with a kid like that for an average of 1000 hours between accidents.
That's about one hour daily for three years.
Let's assume that the most likely outcome is a mixed set of lumps, scrapes and bruises, as for bicycle accidents in general.
Does it really make sense to keep a kid from doing something that'll result in scrapes and bruises once every three years?
I sure hope you'll make sure that your kid never gets close to a playground with swings and a slide...
We know that obesity and inactivity is a wide-spread and growing health issue. We know that congested streets, use of non-renewable resources are also growing problems.
All of the above would change in a favourable direction if more people used bikes instead of cars.
And what better way to set the next generation on a less car-dependent path than to start when they're young?
Show them that bikes can be used for personal transportation and other practical, utilitarian matters.
It's really not a risk worth removing.
 
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