# People who ride their bikes in traffic, pulling baby-carriers - dangerous? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 10, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-ride-their-bikes-in-traffic-pulling-baby-carriers-dangerous/488978 "2009-03-10T17:25:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-ride-their-bikes-in-traffic-pulling-baby-carriers-dangerous/488978/21 "2009-03-11T00:48:24Z")
We are pretty well set up here - Prince William County is bike friendly. Roadway improvements for major roads here have been accompanied by an upgrade of the sidewalk to a multi-use trail. ---
**Author:** ![SparrowHawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@SparrowHawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SparrowHawk)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-ride-their-bikes-in-traffic-pulling-baby-carriers-dangerous/488978/22 "2009-03-11T01:36:25Z")
Yes, [they](http://www.kitv.com/news/18828909/detail.html) [are.](http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009903030332) ---
**Author:** ![Lily\_Milliner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8edcca/32.png) [@Lily\_Milliner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lily_Milliner)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-ride-their-bikes-in-traffic-pulling-baby-carriers-dangerous/488978/23 "2009-03-11T02:15:05Z")
Yes, they are dangerous–to people in nearby vehicles! I was rear-ended by a driver who admitted he was distracted by the woman to our right who was riding a bike and pulling a kid and had many flags and bright colors decorating her wheels. She turned out to be a nurse who stopped to help us. This happened in heavy after-school traffic on a road that can sometimes be nearly empty (weekends) and sometimes bumper-to-bumper (school times). Anyway, I don’t like seeing those things on busy roads. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-ride-their-bikes-in-traffic-pulling-baby-carriers-dangerous/488978/24 "2009-03-11T13:27:44Z")
I feel a little unease when I see those, mainly because I see them on streets with regular automobile traffic, no bike lanes, and drivers here in DC are jerks for the most part. We don’t really have a city bike riding culture and it shows. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-ride-their-bikes-in-traffic-pulling-baby-carriers-dangerous/488978/25 "2009-03-11T14:33:20Z")
I guess it depends on which risk you are more willing to take. I had the seat on the back of the bike for my little one, and I was always afraid of tipping the bike over when getting off, etc. If I could have afforded to get the trailer that tows behind the bike, I would have, because that seemed much safer to me. I was doing a lot more mounting/dismounting than riding in heavy traffic, though. I lived in a quiet suburb with many bike lanes and trails. I later got the [Trail-a-Bike](http://www.trail-a-bike.com/product/trail-a-bikes/original-folder-1/) and put a safety flag on it. I don’t remember any big problems with that other than having to do the balancing for two! ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-ride-their-bikes-in-traffic-pulling-baby-carriers-dangerous/488978/26 "2009-03-11T20:23:10Z")
> [@Lily\_Milliner](#): > > Yes, they are dangerous–to people in nearby vehicles! I was rear-ended by a driver who admitted he was distracted by the woman to our right who was riding a bike and pulling a kid and had many flags and bright colors decorating her wheels. She turned out to be a nurse who stopped to help us. This happened in heavy after-school traffic on a road that can sometimes be nearly empty (weekends) and sometimes bumper-to-bumper (school times). > > Anyway, I don’t like seeing those things on busy roads. Wow, that’s an interesting reaction: I was rear-ended by a car because of the driver’s lack of attention, but I blame the bicycle that wasn’t involved in any way (but still stopped to help us). If that’s how most drivers think about cyclists, I guess maybe people have reason to be scared to bicycle. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-ride-their-bikes-in-traffic-pulling-baby-carriers-dangerous/488978/27 "2009-03-11T21:10:09Z")
Wow, don’t ever go to Copenhagen, is all I’m sayin’. Granted, they have a bazillion bike lanes, but everybody has their baby in a baby trailer. They also leave them outside stores and stuff. We decided it was because nobody’s going to steal them because they have another baby just like it back home - all the Danish babies looked exactly alike. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-ride-their-bikes-in-traffic-pulling-baby-carriers-dangerous/488978/28 "2009-03-12T03:03:35Z")
Does it count if I don’t use it for a baby? [photos](http://kevbo.smugmug.com/gallery/7576277_qBgjX/1/489713997_QvdWm) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-ride-their-bikes-in-traffic-pulling-baby-carriers-dangerous/488978.md?page=1)