Are bike trailers safer than bike seats?

by Heather Craven (Subscribe to Heather Craven's posts) Jul 17th 2007 5:00PM

Categories: Places To Go, Safety, Baby Essentials

Yesterday I took my 10 year-old daughter, Cassidy, and my almost 3 year-old son, Devon for a late afternoon bike ride. A bike ride offers a perfect end to a hot day of running herd on my kids, it tires them out and Devon is strapped down so he can't run about emptying things and making messes.

We had just started our ride and were crossing a street when I was suddenly thrown out of my seat, off my bike and on to the pavement. It took me a moment to realize I was sprawled on the pavement with my knee and shoulder affixed to the asphalt in a bloody mix of skin and dirt. Upon this discovery, panic set in as I looked around for the kids to find Cass pale and waiting on the path while Devon happily sat in his bike trailer playing with his Hot Wheels. The relief was instant and I was able to peel my aching self of the street and back on to the bike.

Lately I have been thinking about replacing the trailer with a bike seat. The trailer is bulky and cumbersome, I thought a bike seat would offer us more flexibility and give Devon a better view for our rides. But after yesterday's accident I have decided against this decision. Had Devon be in a bike seat he would have toppled over and been injured, even with his helmet on. Most people agree that a trailer is safer than a bike seat, it just means you must pick trailer friendly paths and routes.

Do you ride bikes? If so, which do you prefer, a trailer or the bike seat?

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Comments (14)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Kay 7-17-2007 @ 5:17PM

The trailers are great. They're low-slung and the protective framing will help keep a child safe if they tip over. We got a used one a couple of years ago to take our grandchildren along with we sit and they love it. One even calls it 'my bike ride', and shows it off the the brother too big for it. Their safety conscious mother approves.

We had a Bugger years ago for our kids and they sat up high and unprotected. The new ones are much better.

Nicola 7-17-2007 @ 6:08PM

We are avid cyclists and my husband wouldn't even consider a seat. They are SO unsafe. Obviously. If you lose control or have an accident, the child is totally exposed and going along for the fall. In a trailer, unscathed. The trailer stays upright when the bike doesn't. Even if the trailer were to somehow tip over, the child is protected by the frame (when strapped in properly). Though, I have no idea how you'd tip one, short of offroading in unsafe conditions, in which case you probably don't care about the safety of said child anyway!

caitlin 7-17-2007 @ 6:25PM

We love our trailer. My son has been on a few 60 mile rides and loves it as well. So long as I stick to paved paths, haven't had a problem.

Devon might be old enough for a trail-a-bike sometime within the next year if you want something less clunky. It's an attachment that gives you a kid sized tandem seat in the back. I've seen someone with a touring trail-a-bike, and it had a seat back to accommodate a younger child getting tired on longer rides. Our 2.5 year old is "training" for his graduation to a trail-a-bike with one of the pedal-less "balance" bikes. Seems like most of the kids around here who start riding them are in the 3-4 age range.

Belinda 7-18-2007 @ 10:18PM

We have a bike seat for our bikes only because we can't afford a bike trailer, but I really want one because I think they are a LOT safer. But for now we have the bike seat on my FIANCE'S bike because I have fallen off mine billions of times (once while pregnant) and he hasn't fallen off a bike since he was in second grade (he is 33), unless you count the time he ALMOST fell of because some idiot wasn't watching where he was going and nearly hit him. It just knocked him over a little, but he caught himself before he fell all the way. We figured he was safer with him.

Jenny 7-17-2007 @ 11:05PM

Before kids I biked a lot; I even did a charity ride from Minneapolis to Chicago. I miss it terribly. My kids are now 2 and 3 1/2 and we JUST bought a bike trailer. Until now our family outings have all been hiking, not biking. This article had a lot to do with my waiting until the kids were pretty good-sized to even get that: http://www.helmets.org/little1s.htm . It's not very upbeat on either trailers or seats, but a little more positive on trailers. We plan to only ride on bike paths, not on the road.

Sabrina 7-18-2007 @ 12:33AM

My hubby has a bike seat on his bike, and I've always been extremely nervous to let our 2.5 year old ride with him, even with helmet, knee and elbow pads, long sleeves, etc. I have been looking at bike trailors for a long time, but we can't afford one. Now that our youngest is 1, DH wants to take him out too, but I refuse to put a bike seat on my bicycle, I'm not as experienced a rider. All the trailors we've seen were over $100. In some cases, WAY over. Anyone know where to get one cheaper?

caitlin 7-18-2007 @ 1:32AM

Sabrina - check Craigslist. I picked mine up for $30. They tend to run in the $30-100 range there. Just make sure to inspect it before you buy it. Some of the ones I passed up had issues with too much wear.

Nicola 7-18-2007 @ 9:02AM

Sabrina, I don't know where you are, but our local Walmart carries the "In Step" brand trailers at about $50-$70. They fit two kids and are a pretty good brand.

Marieke in Amsterdam 7-18-2007 @ 12:13PM

Check out: http://www.fietsfabriek.nl/ (then choose "collectie")

The Dutch started the whole Bugaboo thing years ago (which is not so hip anymore :-)) and now every second parent in Amsterdam rides a "bakfiets".

You can see pics of parents taking their children to school on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=bakfiets

I guess a bakfiets (bak = baker's, fiets = bicycle) is the safest mode of them all: safer than a seat and safer than a trailer, where it's very difficult to see what your child is up to (since the kid is behind your back), or worse: because car drivers tend to forget that there might actually BE a trailer behind a bike and drive over it.

Laura 7-18-2007 @ 1:41PM

You should live in Europe! I see BABIES in seats on the handlebars with not so much as a helmet. When we got a seat for Sebastian at age 2 on the back of the bike, I insisted on a helmet and everyone thought I was crazy.

Now, finally, I see more kids with helmets but not enough! Some don't even have seat belts.. some don't even have SEATS! They just hang on the rack on the back! 4 year olds!

I want a trailer too but since it would easily be stolen here it's not an option for us.

silver 7-18-2007 @ 1:33PM

When I was little, my dad would go on rides with me in a bike seat. I remember him wiping out once. I also remember that I didn't even touch the pavement. The bike was laying on the ground and I was safely strapped into the seat, just looking at my dad, wondering when he would get me upright again. I guess the seat was wide enough and I was small enough that the seat and bike hit the ground and not me.

Dave A 8-05-2007 @ 3:13PM

We sold our Burley trailer a while ago and I'm looking for a couple of bike seats to replace it. The trailer became a pain in the neck with a 3 year old and 1.5 year old crammed in there (both are large kids--3' + tall and 30-35 lb each.) fighting each other. The distraction of the kids back there was more dangerous than anything else, I think...I kept looking back to check on what the heck they were doing to each other.

I'm not worried about crashing with a bike seat. I believe they are designed to shield the child, so while your arms and legs might get chewed up on the asphalt, or you might bump your head tipping over, I think the bike seats are supposed to keep the kid safely strapped in. Of course, there's no such danger when you have a trailer, but they are so big and I think a bit risky on narrow, windy country roads. I believe, with the bike seat, I will be much more aware of where my child is and I will know that is within the span of my elbows, so less worry about sideswiping or hitting something.

Mark Stosberg 9-03-2007 @ 9:54PM

The bakfiets are now available in the US by contacting the importer at http://www.dutchbikes.us/?markstos, or through one of the dealers listed on their site.

I'm a dad-to-be in Richmond, Indiana, and I'm already enjoying this new cargo bike. It seems preferable to a bike seat or trailer to me. A clear hood is available for it as an optional accessory, so the kids can be fully enclosed.

I have a page about it here:
http://www.bikerichmond.org/bakfiets.

Brandy Erskine 9-17-2007 @ 5:57PM

I bought the new switchback bicycle by baby jogger at www.choochoosshop.com (the best price I have found) and I absolutely love it! Not only is it easy to pull but it is very well built. It is more expensive than other brands but I definately think it is worth it if you will be on busy rodes with your baby as it feels very safe. I don't think I could switch to a bike seat after trying this!