You are a parent and you want to take your kid with you everywhere. Whether you have a little backpack to carry the tyke or a seat mounted on the back of your bike, yours is a mobile and active baby. Now you are considering getting a bike trailer. Should you do it and what kinds of injuries might occur? Let’s consider.
State Laws
Your baby is your own to raise as you see fit, but you do still have to adhere to state laws. Many states limit the age at which a child can participate in certain activities, like sitting in a trailer behind their parents’ bike.
According to biking website Icebike, many states, including New York, will not allow parents to ride with their child in a trailer or on a seat mounted on the bike until they are a year old. The reason for this is because the baby’s skull is too soft before that age and can be easily damaged.
Even if your child is old enough to ride in a trailer, do ensure that it is amply padded, as Icebike writes that constant movement against the trailer could lead to brain damage in a child, especially on bumpy or unpaved roads. Don’t take any risks that could lead to long-term consequences. Make sure your kid wears a helmet inside the trailer.
Seats v. Trailers
A study in the Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine comparing bike seat and bike trailer injuries in small children concluded that mounted seats may be more dangerous than attaching a trailer behind a bike. The study’s authors wrote, “When compared with bicycle-mounted child seats, there were fewer reported injuries to children associated with the use of bicycle-towed trailers. Motor vehicle involvement and need for hospital admission were similar among injured children in both groups, and the head or face was the most common site of injury.”
Talk to a Lawyer
If your child has been injured in an accident on a bike or in any other context, talk to a lawyer. Tell your story. Many injury attorneys consult for free or a minimal fee and will be happy to assess your case.
Related Resources:
- Have an injury claim? Get your claim reviewed for free. (Consumer Injury)
- Personal Injury Law: The Basics (FindLaw’s Learn About the Law)
- Starting a Case: Initial Court Papers (FindLaw’s Learn About the Law)
- Fact-Finding and Discovery (FindLaw’s Learn About the Law)
