My Parents think Riding is Dangerous!

[the_truth]

Hey guys,
im new to this forum.But my problem is that my parents won't let me get a bike or ride a bike.They just think it is dangerous and i might get hit by a car.I am 13 and hadnt had a bike since i was 7.Sometimes when my parents drive me to places like to a friends or to the basketball court i wouldnt want to ride a bike there.But i dont have a bike.Do you agree with my parents?If you don't please post links or ideas i can convince them to letting me ride when im 14!in february.Thanks



THE_TRUTH

 

[mike frye]

The question you might ask your folks is what do you think are the long term effects of not exercising ?
I can give you only the effects on me personally. I am a 42 year old diabetic and I still have all my fingers and toes.(this alone is quite outstanding.) I recently showed up at a function for diabetics and there was only one other person there that had it longer than I. She had both of her legs amputated and was on dialysis(A way to filter your blood when your kidneys fail.) I got diabetes when I was three and the only thing I did that was different than anybody else was ride my bike almost every day.
Not only does get you to were you need to go but wile you are getting there you are making yourself more fit. It gives your hart and lungs and the rest of your body the exorcize that it really needs. According to health officials here in the U.S. you need to rase your hart rate at least three times a week for about twenty minutes. and a ideal way of doing it is riding a bike.
Not only that but you an tell your mum that she doesn't need to cart you around all over the place in order to get you there.(Most folks only go less than five miles per trip)
With the amount of obesity in kids today there might be a cause and effect relationship between all that driving and kids bloating.

Just a thought.

Mike Frye fixed grear retrogrouch.

 

[stevek]

like riding in a car is safe (G) have them enrol you in a local bicyling club that teaches you hwo to ride safly. your safer on a bike then walking or riding in a car. Plus it is healthy were riding in a car makes you lazy. that will kill you too.

 

[MidBunchLurker]

Your parents are right. Cycling is dangerous. But so is crossing the road or taking a drive. At least you get some exercise and enjoyment while doing it.

If they're really against you riding on the road, what about a mountain bike - basically the most fun you can have on two wheels...

 

[cycleboy]

Dear TRUTH -

I would begin by sitting down with my parents (wait until they aren't busy or in a hurry) and trying to find out exactly what they mean by cycling isn't safe. Depending upon their response you may be able to assure them that your cycling will be responsible. For example, they may be concerned about you being alone and you could find a friend or two to go with when you cycle.

If you've acted irresponsibly in the past (we all did when we were 13) you may have to build a little confidence in your parents by demonstrating you're maturing.

If you have patience and don't whine, your parents will come to see (in time) that you REALLY want to cycle and will probably cooperate.

Are your grades as good as your parents would like? If not, try offering to improve your grades to be considered for a bicycle.

Don't set a unrealistic deadline like your birthday in 2 weeks.

In summary, you need to negotiate with your parents. The secret to successful negotiations is that BOTH sides end up with something they want.

Good luck.

 

[EoinC]

I'm guessing that their safety consideration is based on dealing with traffic. One suggestion is to look around for places that they would consider to be safe for riding. There may be parks or cycleways where you could ride without having to encounter other vehicles.
I grew up riding my bike everywhere - to school, in the bush, in the city. It was always freedom to me.
I have 2 daughters who I am much more restrictive about as the world has changed. The traffic is moving much faster now and appears to have less concern for other road users.
Until my daughters are sufficiently profficient, they ride on cycleways and empty car parks. It is a good way to share family time, watching as their skills progress. Perhaps you could see if your parents want to be included in your riding?

 

[starquake]

if i were you, i would just buy a bike and start riding. at your age i started my first centuries. i've never been hit by a car. also, i have never been in danger or part or cause of an accident. i'm riding around 10k kms a year on the road and around 3k mountainbiking. ok, i had some smaller injuries while mountainbiking (the biggest one was a longitudinal crack in one of my bones in my right lower arm), but none on the road.

good luck.

 

[brightgarden]

My parents--same thing. My last bike as a kid was one I bought myself at a yard sale (an old clunker) and I was 13. I'm 37 now and my parents STILL think I shouldn't bike except on a trainer inside the house.

You might try that tactic instead--earning money to get your own. I think my sort of parents are a bit rare. [My mom ungraciously gave my last bike away before the year was out and I was forbidden to have a bike as long as I lived in their house. No comfort to hear that my brothers could have bikes because "boys will be boys!"]

I bought my daughter a bike (she's 13 now) and she only rides it when I'm dying to go biking. She doesn't live with me, so the few times she visits are generally non-riding days for me. Ironic.

 

[tacomee]

Hey truth,


Call a local cycling club and try to enlist them to help you change your parents minds. Try the old *safety first* bit by offering to go to a class and always wear your helment and learn the rules of the road. Every cyclist should do this anyway.

And it's going to take a hell of a lot longer than 2 weeks to change things-- sorry kid, hang in there.

 

[JuneBug]

Originally posted by MidBunchLurker
Your parents are right. Cycling is dangerous. But so is crossing the road or taking a drive. At least you get some exercise and enjoyment while doing it.
If they're really against you riding on the road, what about a mountain bike - basically the most fun you can have on two wheels...

No one wants to hit a kid. But it can happen. If your parents think you are not ready for a bike yet then you need to prove to them that you are. ((maybe you are not! )) gah!

''You can heal from broken bones from riding. ((or skateboarding, or rollerblading)) . It is much harder to heal from what happens at the Mall.''
That is a quote from Leslie Thomlison, a retired professional mountain biker, regarding her own son.
I agree with the above...... learn ROAD safety and just be safe in general.
When I was a kid we rode everywhere. bikes, skates, you name it. no helmets either. ((horror!~)
I had a moped at age 14 and zipped to far away places on it with my friends. ((and i'm a girl!)) We all had them. Not as healthy as biking though. <laugh>

I dont have kids though so what do i know about being nervous about them. I'd probably say no too! LOL just kidding. I wish you luck . I think you just got to convince t!!hem and be persistant.

 

[tumbleweed77]

hey there... I agree with the above... see if you can convice your parents to let you have a bike but first find some classes or a group that you can learn road safety. try visiting a police station to find out cycling laws and suggestions on how to ride safe and to be visable... I live in socal and there are plenty of young kids out on the sidewalks and such w/ their bikes as early as 6 and 7 sometimes. riding in a group is safer and make sure you wear your helmet ALL the time and properly.. yes this means on your head, buckled and tight enough that it won't slip if you fall... i commute to my school 16 miles away on busy streets and for the most part as long as I'm paying attention and riding safe, I'm safe...

though if they won't let you have a bike.. how about a skateboard, scooter or rollerblades? (in my opinion those are worse than a bike )

 

[garage sale GT]

They just think it is dangerous and i might get hit by a car.

One pictures Bob Newhart calmly saying "well, it...it IS dangerous, and you MIGHT be hit by a car."

 

[HowardSteele]

Your parents are right. Cycling is dangerous. But so is crossing the road or taking a drive. At least you get some exercise and enjoyment while doing it.

I agree with MidBunchLurker, Cycling with traffic IS dangerous but if you are aware of this fact AND ride defenciflly, trying to pre-emt traffic movement and learn to spot potential hooligans it gets safer. It’s the cars that come from behind that are the killers. The most dangerous part of my ride is the two ks of suburban tar up to the mountain track (moms in monster 4x4' talking on cellphone’ s are dangerous creatures) but as mentioned doing everything these days is potentially dangerous. I STICK TO THE MOUNTAIN TRAILS where more MTBikers get injured than roadies, go figure.

 

[mikesbytes]

My 13 year old son rides on the footpaths, technically illegal as you are suppose to be under 12 to ride on the footpaths in NSW, Australia. We still make him wear a helmet. But no one worries about bikes on foot paths.

Its a matter of building confidence in your parents as to your ability to be safe on the bike. The other posters have made some suggestions towards this.

 

[cyclepromo]

One thing is how busy is your area? It might not be to safe right after school (rush hour) in some cities if you're traveling a far distance. My city has bike lanes so it makes things easier.

I'd suggest that you might want to ask about riding on the weekends when the traffic might be lighter. Shorter distances to start. From there you can increase the distance. I'm sure once you convince your parents you're safe they'll appreciate the fact that they don't have to drive you everywhere.

Good luck.

Hey guys,
im new to this forum.But my problem is that my parents won't let me get a bike or ride a bike.They just think it is dangerous and i might get hit by a car.I am 13 and hadnt had a bike since i was 7.Sometimes when my parents drive me to places like to a friends or to the basketball court i wouldnt want to ride a bike there.But i dont have a bike.Do you agree with my parents?If you don't please post links or ideas i can convince them to letting me ride when im 14!in february.Thanks



THE_TRUTH

 

[BikeyGuy]

Tell them you'll wear a helmwt and follow the rules of the road.
Or, never leave the house and live a safe boring life.

 

[geerfree]

As you get older (late teens) your parents will start getting more confidence in you riding around the streets. 13 nearly 14 is very young so it will take a lot of persuading for them to change their opinions at the moment.

 

[dahut]

Hey guys,
im new to this forum.But my problem is that my parents won't let me get a bike or ride a bike.They just think it is dangerous and i might get hit by a car.I am 13 and hadnt had a bike since i was 7.Sometimes when my parents drive me to places like to a friends or to the basketball court i wouldnt want to ride a bike there.But i dont have a bike.Do you agree with my parents?If you don't please post links or ideas i can convince them to letting me ride when im 14!in february.Thanks
THE_TRUTH

Your parents not wholly wrong - cycling has associated dangers. This is excerpted from US News and World Report on cycle commuting:

"Yes, there’s real risk associated with bicycling. Bikers do crash and get hit by cars. But how dangerous is biking in comparison with other forms of transportation and with our perception of the risk? A lot less than you might think. Consider the calculations of a company that performs safety and failure testing, previously called the Failure Group and now known as Exponent. The company looked at a variety of activities and determined that the number of fatalities per million hours of exposure was 0.26 for biking, 0.47 for driving, 1.53 for living (all causes of death), and 8.80 for motorcycling. In other words, they found that the risks of biking were about half that associated with driving and a sixth of that associated simply with being alive.
Now, there is some debate about these findongs, so, for the sake of argument, let’s assume that the Failure Associates study is an underestimation.Lets consider another thorough report that measures the risks using a slightly different yardstick—the number of fatalities per billions of kilometers traveled rather than per hour of exposure.


The Rutgers University researchers who completed this study concluded that, per kilometer traveled, bicycling fatalities are 11 times as high as car occupant fatalities. Seems pretty grim for biking until you look at what the same study found about walking. Pedestrian fatalities per kilometer traveled were 36 times as high as driving fatalities, suggesting that walking is more than three times as dangerous as biking.

That said, there’s still more that we bikers can do to take responsibility for our safety. A disturbing 24 percent of fatal bike accidents involve an intoxicated rider, according to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis. And fatalities aside, research shows that bikers get into many minor accidents that could be prevented.


Numerous studies have shown that the failure to wear lights at night or a [COLOR=#005497 ! important][COLOR=#005497 ! important]helmet[/COLOR][/COLOR][COLOR=#005497 ! important][COLOR=#005497 ! important]cars[/COLOR][/COLOR], we can’t ignore the rules of the road. Finally, newer riders have to be especially careful about drivers opening doors (you’ll get clipped) and making turns (they can’t always see you), and about riding on the sidewalks (you’ll get hit by cars exiting or entering driveways). significantly increases a biker’s risk. And, until more bike infrastructure is built (and it should be as it improves biker safety, too) bikers have to behave like cars when we’re in heavy traffic.

The bottom line: It’s not that biking is without risk, but some perspective is in order, especially when you start to factor in the many health benefits that biking provides.

When I was a kid we started riding bikes at the age of 4 or 5. It was our sole mode of transportation... our parents in those days didnt squire us all over town.
Im thinking your parents are just being parents and so are being protective of you. Maybe a little too protective, IMHO.

Sooner or later, though, they have to let you go - having raised two kids of my own, I can recommend a bike over a car for teens.

 

[InfinityMPG]

Hey guys,
im new to this forum.But my problem is that my parents won't let me get a bike or ride a bike.They just think it is dangerous and i might get hit by a car.I am 13 and hadnt had a bike since i was 7.Sometimes when my parents drive me to places like to a friends or to the basketball court i wouldnt want to ride a bike there.But i dont have a bike.Do you agree with my parents?If you don't please post links or ideas i can convince them to letting me ride when im 14!in february.Thanks



THE_TRUTH

I have a solution!
Wait 5 years and you can pretty much do what you want! Oh.. it's been 7 years.. the first post was in 2003? Yep. I guess you're 20 now. I wish we could open this time capsule and find out how things went

 

[swampy1970]

I have a solution!
Wait 5 years and you can pretty much do what you want! Oh.. it's been 7 years.. the first post was in 2003? Yep. I guess you're 20 now. I wish we could open this time capsule and find out how things went

He probably got a motorcycle just to p1ssoff his parents and ended up doing the 'look mom, my helmet fell of with my head still in it' trick.