Parents who do this (especially the fathers), please take a bow. You have earned it. Unless you do this:
That's a child seat for a motorcycle. The description says all that needs saying (emphasis mine):
Child seat suitable for most scooters in circulation. Is fixed to the saddle through universal adjustable straps. No belt is provided subject to the child to keep the seat as they can be dangerous in case of fall.
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I got my kids out skiing, I got them out boating, we did all sorts of outdoors activities. But Boy Howdy, this seems like an astonishingly bad idea. Leave your kid behind when you're out on your sweet Midlife Crisis ride ...
I wouldn't take a child under 12 on my motorcycle, and even that might be too young for me. And I say that knowing that my Heritage is *designed* for comfortable 2-up riding, unlike the street-ricer in the picture (an exhaust pipe directly under the rider's leg???)
ReplyDeleteBut, for a simple rule of thumb: if your prospective passenger can't firmly plant his/her feet on the passenger pegs/boards, they aren't safe in the passenger seat.
And there should be a "grab strap" on the passenger seat where the passenger can grab it. It's there for a purpose: something firmly mounted to the bike that the passenger can hold onto: the rider's hips, waist, or pockets are ***NOT*** a secure "handle" for the passenger.
Look at how that kid's sitting, the way his legs are spread, and the fact he has NOTHING to hold onto with his hands. Whoever designed this seat - and any dipsh*t who buys it - are playing with a child's lives, and should be dope-slapped hard enough to make them realize how much they're endangering their child.
I meant to say "an exhaust pipe directly below the passenger's leg"
ReplyDeleteAgreed, kids should NOT be on bikes at that age... sigh
ReplyDeleteIt says it's for use on a "market scooter," which I take to mean something like a 50cc Kymco, not a crotch rocket. The attachment straps have adjustable stirrups. From the web page: "This greatly increases safety accessory for transporting children and avoiding trust their still fragile arms and hands to keep them secured on the bike."
ReplyDeleteIt's still bad idea, but it's not as bad as it looks at first.
It's not much worse than the plastic child seats for bicycles. Put a small child high up behind the adult on a bicycle, in a seat shaped about like that one. If the rider falls, the child's head is whipped sideways against whatever surface they are on, usually pavement. A helmet may provide some protection, but does nothing for the neck and face.
ReplyDeleteAnd if the accident involves a motor vehicle? Then a seat on a bicycle is the same as this seat you posted a picture of. People just don't realize the physics involved and consider the potential down side.
I took my daughter and wife jet boating this weekend. It was awesome, but I'm convinced that there are absolutely people who would consider what I did to be completely irresponsible.
ReplyDeleteWe were playing around in class II and III whitewater rapids with a three year old on board.
While I completely agree that two wheeled sports (biking and motorcycling) should not involve children in the manner depicted above, it's also important to consider that there are a lot of folks out there who would consider many of the things that we "outside" parents do with their kids to be simply beyond the pale, and as a result, be somewhat cautious about adding fuel to that fire.
Amen. The first stone and whatnot.
DeleteChildren that age and younger are able to safely operate their own motorcycles, but having one ride along behind you is zomg terrible? God forbid we let them use firearms, they'll surely die then!
ReplyDeleteThere are good and bad ways to have a kid ride on your motorcycle. Getting all panty bunched safety nazi helicopter parent about it is not helpful. Ask all the farm kids who were driving tractors and operating dangerous farm machinery by themselves when they were children. Ask me about the endless hours I spent wandering around in the desert unsupervised with a rifle or shotgun.
Hell, just ask all the kids who ride their own bicycles in cities. Which is more likely to get a kid hurt or dead: a dad putting his kid in full protective gear and a full face helmet on the back of his goldwing to putter around the rural backroads for an afternoon, or street rat in a tee shirt and shorts riding his bmx through heavy city traffic? Now, which one would caused bunched panties and zomg horror?
I grew up on the back of dad’s bike. I got hurt exactly Zero times. I hurt myself far more on the dirt bike crashing into stuff.
ReplyDeleteScrew the seat, the problem in that photo is the helmet. That oversize thing is a real potential hazard to the child's health in a crash. Lot of weight and leverage on the neck, if it even stays on after the first hit.
ReplyDelete