Baby Bike Trailer Safety
Bike trailers offer parents and caregivers a way to take toddlers and young children on bike rides before they can ride one on their own. Trailers are generally considered safer than bike-mounted child seats because their low center of gravity makes them more stable. Aside from superior stability, there are several ways parents can improve the overall safety of a bike trailer and the baby or child it carries.
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Age
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Babies under the age of 12 months shouldn’t be transported in bike trailers. Experts give two reasons for this age restriction: babies must be able to sit up unsupported before riding in something that jostles them, and they must wear a helmet. Babies who cannot yet sit unsupported may be at risk for brain injury due to jostling.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, “infants [less than 9 months old haven’t] developed sufficient bone mass and muscle tone to enable them to sit unsupported with their backs straight. Pediatricians advise against having infants sitting in a slumped or curled position for prolonged periods.”
Helmets
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Helmets aren’t manufactured for children under 1 year of age primarily because all experts agree that infants shouldn’t be transported by bike during the first year of life. Moreover, helmets put on a baby who can’t sit unsupported only adds weight and strain to the neck and spine, potentially causing injury. On babies or toddlers more than 1 year old, helmets should fit snugly so that they’re effective in an accident. Helmets that easily shift on a baby’s head are ineffective; this includes helmets with straps and buckles that loosen on their own over time and helmets that can be turned or lifted in any direction while on the head and buckled. Helmets should meet Snell, CPSC or ANSI safety requirements.
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Equipment Safety
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The League of American Bicyclists recommends that parents use a bike trailer that has a ball and socket joint at the point of connection between the bike and the trailer. That way, if the bike tips over, the trailer will stay upright. It’s also very important that the fabric of the trailer is as taut as possible, since drum-tight fabric prevents young passengers from reaching their hands and fingers out into moving wheels and spokes. All children should always be belted in prior to a bike ride; trailers come with either three- or five-point harness seat belts. Three-point harnesses come up between the legs and buckle into the waist belt; five-point harnesses also have shoulder straps.
Safety Tips
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To avoid sending dirt and dust directly into children’s faces while riding, parents should always secure the front cover of the trailer. Even bikes with fenders ridden on dry pavement can throw unseen rocks, dust and debris back into an open trailer. The ride in the trailer is bumpier for the child than the adult’s ride on the bike, due to the fact that the wheels are directly below the child, so parents should avoid riding on bumpy surfaces.
The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute recommends that children be supported with extra padding to prevent their head from bobbing around should they fall asleep; it also recommends placing a small pillow behind the child’s neck, just beneath the helmet. The BHSI states that “without the pillow [a child’s] chin is forced down toward the chest by the thickness of the back of the helmet,” leading to possible injury.
Road Safety
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Basic bicycle safety dictates that cyclists avoid riding on pedestrian sidewalks, follow all traffic rules, stay to the right while on the road, maintain awareness of the traffic around them, use hand signals, be visible to motorists and ride predictably. The safety rules of cycling become that much more important when towing children in a bike trailer, as does avoiding sharp or quick turns, potholes, large debris and curbs. Sharp turns, even those taken slowly, can turn trailers over on their sides, as can hitting holes, curbs and debris with one wheel.
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References
- Photo Credit smiling toddler image by CreativeWarrior from Fotolia.com
