My Parents think Riding is Dangerous!



Biking is really been a very beneficial way of transportation. When we are talking about close distance trip, biking would be a best choice. It is very easy to handle and you can exercise yourself which is a very popular method of exercising. Its been advice to patients who are diabetic and high blood. According to the patients they have experienced a good effect in their body as they practiced biking.

Furthermore, biking helps in maintaining our mother earth pampered because it never releases smoke that are primary reason of global warming now a days. Its nice to be part of preserving our mother earth by just practicing biking.

But the problem would arise when we talk about safety. Biking along public highways is a no no. When you are biking you are so open to all, which means you are prone to accident. The fact is you should not try to compete in the public highways, try to have biking in safe places like our public plaza.And of course convincing your parents is not easy to do. Just prove to them that you are responsible enough to yourself maybe they will be giving you a car when they see you following simple road safety. Big responsibility starts in small things.
 
It's a question of perspective. Life involves risk that's unavoidable. We're all at risk every day. Cycling involves risks but you can reduce those risks by learning how to cycle safely. You will never limit risks entirely, a risk free life is impossible.
 
I remember having a bit of slap 'n tickle around the back of the Town and Country club in Leeds back in the early 90's. Her boyfriend was a big guy - so it was definitely risky... but damn it was fun.
 
And yes, I did wear a "helmet".
 
;)
 
Originally Posted by 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
It is dangerous if your reckless! Seriously there is truth to that. You have to completely aware of your surroundings 100 percent of the time, both visually and audible. But I'm at a disadvantage to give you advice concerning this because first and foremost I'm not your parent, I don't know how well you ride and how alert you are when riding, your maturity level, do you take to instruction well both from parents and rules of the road, I also don't know your riding environment. These are all elements that need to be taken into consideration before anyone can make a recommendation. So going by just your post as it is, I would have to agree with your parents. Sorry dude.
 
haha.. this thread is hilarious. This "kid" is in college by now; this advice can be helpful if anyone else is directed here, but keep in mind that the actual poster has in all likelihood worked through this problem by now (first post was in 2003).
 
Originally Posted by InfinityMPG .

haha.. this thread is hilarious. This "kid" is in college by now; this advice can be helpful if anyone else is directed here, but keep in mind that the actual poster has in all likelihood worked through this problem by now (first post was in 2003).
I didn't even read the year of the post, that's funny. I wonder if he's laughing at the e-mail he's getting.
 
How about telling them driving a car is dangerous & they could be killed in an accident, then ask them to give up driving.

Life is full of dangers, staying at home & have a 'safe' life is not the answer as many people die in accidents in their own home.

I am a 'white van man' (albeit signwritten) & have for a long time (well before taking up cycling) treated cyclists in accordance to the Highway Code. What does annoy me is the cyclist that ignores the rules of the road & rides dangerously.

Show your parents you will be one of the sensible cyclists & learn the rules of the road. This means reading ALL of the HC (if you're in Britian otherwise read whatever publication is standard in your country) & understand it from both a cyclist's & motorist's perspective. This should make you a safer rider.
 
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My dad hated cyclists, so when he trained me to drive he would give me X amount of points depending if I ran the cyclist off the road, cut him off while turning right, open my drivers door into the path of one, come up behind them and give them a shove down the highway so they could go faster, things like that.
 
Your parents are right and their concern is only natural. Cycling is dangerous but so is stepping out of the house. You could allay their natural fears by taking a safe cycling course. Life involves risk and as already mentioned t from the supermarket door he effects of not exercising are dire in the long term. To cycle or not to cycle, weigh up all the pros and cons then make a logical decision. I choose to cycle and have been doing it for thirty years, I have friends who choose to drive. I can pull on my trainers and go running without a problem, most of my friends consider parking their car too far from the supermarket door a major experdition. There will never be a time when you can say cycling is safe. Safety will improve when cities improve their cycling infastructure, but it will never be totally safe, but what will?
 
[COLOR= #0000ff]Hi, Truth, and welcome to the forum![/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Part of the problem in helping you is that you really haven't given us a lot of information. Can they afford to buy you a bike? Where is it you WANT to ride? On the streets, beside traffic? On bike paths where there is no traffic allowed? In parks? Knowing a little more could help us see what it is your parents are objecting to, specifically.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]One thing I DO know as a mom, though. (Don't you hate it when we seem to stick together? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif) If you want them to trust you with a bike, you have to earn that trust before you ever GET the bike. By that I mean, you have to prove that you're safety-conscious when you do OTHER things. Do you run out into the street without looking when you're chasing something or meeting somebody -- in spite of your mom having warned you in the past? Do you walk behind parked cars at the mall or grocery store without even a look in their direction? Do you stay a friend's house later than your parents said you could, without calling so they don't worry? Do you wear the proper protective gear if you do any other sports, or do you always want not to wear the helmet/knee pads/whatever. Do you wear your seatbelt in the car automatically, without being nagged? Do you usually follow the household rules most of the time, or do you balk at them? (Because if you won't follow the rules about curfew or cleaning your room or sharing the chores, why should they believe you'll follow the safety rules for a bicycle?) These all might seem like little things, but to a watchful parent it means you're maturing and learning to take responsibility for your own actions -- and thus your own safety. [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Like it or not, we parents watch all kinds of things like that when you're not looking, and often base our decisions on what we're seeing. My son was 2 years older than my daughter -- but she was WAY more ready to be a driver than he was, at 16. I'm not saying that because she was 'my favorite' or whatever. I'm saying that because I saw her being trustworthy in all these other areas, while he was much more likely to chuck all the rules just for the thrill of going fast. So make sure your parents aren't seeing anything in you that makes them afraid to let you go out. [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]If you're doing all those things and they're just being overly cautious because they love you and want to protect you, go on Google.com and google something like "bike safety statistics", print it out, and share it with them. Don't show it to them right after you've been arguing, lol, or when they're just heading for bed. Pick a good time when you're all in a good mood, stay calm, and ask if they could read the parts you've highlighted. (I used to leave things like that on my parents' dining table so they would read it before I got up in the morning, lol.) Promise them -- and mean it -- that you will always wear your helmet, will always come to a full stop at stop lights and stop signs, will take a safety course and learn to watch traffic, etc. Maybe if you present it to them in a calm and grown-up manner, without any pouting or whining or shouting, they'll listen with a more open mind. I hope so for your sake.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]I hope it goes well for you. Cycling is a really fun way to get out in the fresh air and enjoy life. But it really CAN be dangerous if you're not exceedingly careful, so make sure you don't make them regret it, when they finally give you the bike.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Good luck, Sweetie. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif[/COLOR]
 
Sierra, this is funny, you'll get a kick out of it. But this kid is now about 21 years old, for you see, he posted this in 2003!! Take a look at the original post and the date of it.
 
Originally Posted by Froze .

Sierra, this is funny, you'll get a kick out of it. But this kid is now about 21 years old, for you see, he posted this in 2003!! Take a look at the original post and the date of it.

[COLOR= #0000ff]OMG, Froze, that's hilarious!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif What's really funny is that I was rolling my eyes yesterday at a poster who did the exact same thing, thinking, "Didn't you see the date???" [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Gee -- Do you suppose his parents will let him ride now? ROFLOL.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Thanks for the chuckle! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif[/COLOR]
 
[COLOR= #0000ff]Ok, Froze, I'm off the hook a LITTLE bit.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]I just went and looked, trying to figure out how I did that. What I had done when I posted was look at the date of the last post before mine -- which was the day before mine, when decca234uk posted a response, lol. So at least I SORT of have an out -- or an excuse, anyway. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/redface.gif [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Still laughing. Thanks!![/COLOR]
 
This is not my place to say but I can't bite my tongue. Your parents are doing an awful thing robbing you of your childhood, your right to exercise, and are over-sheltering you.

Some of my favorite memories from childhood were riding my bike all sorts of places and having little adventures. I grew up in Phoenix, a huge city with horrible traffic, and I survived. I guess they want you to grow up in a box with no friends, fat, and afraid to leave the house.

Get the bike, don't tell them about it, and have a blast!
 
Originally Posted by InfinityMPG .

haha.. this thread is hilarious. This "kid" is in college by now; this advice can be helpful if anyone else is directed here, but keep in mind that the actual poster has in all likelihood worked through this problem by now (first post was in 2003).

Either that or he stopped posting because he had an 18 wheeler truck run over his head.

Infinity MPG, aye. That makes no sense... you need to eat or drink something while out on the bike, or before, so therefore your mpg is not infinite while riding the bike.
 
Yes! I appreciate the reminder that people need food to survive and that human perpetual motion has not yet been accomplished by modern science ;)
Not to remove myself from it, but to explain, I didn't come up with this name; there are cycling jersey stores that make them, such as:
http://www.sharethedamnroad.com/

It is, as you must know, meant only as a green jab at drivers while cycle-commuting -- "infinite" only because cyclists don't have a gasoline consumption rating. Since drivers consume both food and gasoline for motion while cyclists consume only food. We can of course argue that cyclists have a "tailpipe" as well, but we are already entering the realm of debating the literal accuracy of funny coffee mugs. ;)

As for the original poster. More so than his being dead, I would guess he was too young to keep track of or remember that he had ever made an account with cyclingforums.com . He probably asked the question, had it resolved in his real life, and found no need to ever check back. Which is too bad, because uploading that bicycle icon probably took five minutes in 2003. They weren't as advanced as we are here in the future.
 

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