democraticunderground.com

Bikes and children: Good intentions gone awry

In yesterday's CityLab:

...“I mean, a bike is a fantastic gift—there is no need to pretend it is something else,” she told Forbes. [Isla]Rowntree decided she could do better, and founded Islabikes—the first company dedicated exclusively to children’s bikes—in 2006. While its headquarters are in the U.K., the outfit has a U.S. office in Portland, Oregon. It offers bikes for all ages—from toddlers to teens—starting with balance bikes, which lack pedals or chains. These allow small children to learn how to balance so they’re better prepared when they graduate to pedals. Training wheels just hinder the process (How to Build a Better Kids' Bike)...

Rob's comment:

This is a terrible idea, since bikes are a serious health and safety hazard for children. I've been posting about this issue for years. Click on "Children and Bikes" below for earlier posts. 

My comment to the story:

I understand that liberals with good intentions want to encourage their children to take up riding bikes, which is all the rage among libs and progs.

But the Centers for Disease Control provides information they should consider first: 

"While only 1% of all trips taken in the U.S. are by bicycle, bicyclists face a higher risk of crash-related injury and deaths than occupants of motor vehicles do."

And this from the NY Times: Report Indicates an Increase in Concussion Awareness.

And the American Association of Neurological Surgeons says cycling causes the most head injuries.

See also Getting children on bikes.