I saw today...

[FTMLuc]

A man on a bicycle (no helmet) on a busy street/intersection with a wooden box on wheels attached to the front of the bike and …….. an infant car seat in that box!!! Took me a while to pick my jaw of the floor. The guy was essentially driving his baby in a coffin, because all it would take is someone not pay attention and just lightly bump the bike for the baby to go flying.

Then I felt really bad for being so quick to judge, thinking that maybe he was just transporting an empty car set.

Well, it gets better. I saw him this morning again, and now the box held not only an infant bucket seat but also a 3-4 year old boy with NO HELMET on. Obviously there is no harness in the box, the kid is just sitting there loosely. Seriously, does this guy not want to see his children grow into adulthood? Can you say major head trauma for the child even in the lightest of accidents between the bike and a car. Never mind that on the busy road in the morning rush hour these kids are just at the level of all the car exhaust fumes.

I try very hard to respect other people’s parenting choices/styles and not judge, but such gross disregard for safety really gets to me. I can’t stop thinking about those kids.

[mommylamb]

This is something worth judging. How awful.

[ladysoapmaker]

I understand. it never ceases to amaze me what people do. I know most the neighbors think I'm nuts because I insist all the kids wear helmets even if it's just the tricycle.

I hope the kids make it through that.

Jen

[Toba]

OMG. I also try not to get into other parents' raising of their child, but I seriously would have called the police. I can't imagine a more dangerous scenario. Maybe they are destitute and he has to ride a bike to work, errands, whatever, and the child must go with him but STILL!!

[FTMLuc]

Maybe they are destitute and he has to ride a bike to work, errands, whatever, and the child must go with him but STILL!!

They did not seem to be destitute, this was in a very wealthy town, Dad was dressed in slacks and polo, and the car seat I think was Maxi-cosi.

Destitute or not, I would not want to take such stupid and totally avoidable risks with my children. I bet he does not have to ride far, there is a daycare near there, he was probably dropping/picking up kids before/after work. But still even a mile is enough for an accident to happen.

P.S. I think this affected me so much is because it is the same stretch of road where I was recently sideswiped by an elderly gentelmen, who decided to squeeze through on a shoulder to bypass traffic. The road also bends in that area causing some blind spots for cars. This is a town where my car was t-boned and sideswiped twice in less then 1 year, both times when I was standing still in traffic. I just do not trust the drivers in the area.

[infomama]

Money doesn't buy intelligence. Say a prayer for the kids...that's all you can do.
If you think he is endangering his kids....call the police. There are laws against that especially if he is being reckless in his behavior.

[AnnieW625]

Report it to you local police department. Say a prayer for the kid.

[niccig]

Was it one of these
http://dutchbikeshop.ie/bikes

very popular in European countries that cycle a lot, like the Netherlands. I think some of them are designed for car seats, and they have 3 point harnesses. I suppose I don't see the difference between this and a bike trailer - though kids should be wearing helmets. I never liked pulling DS behind in a trailer as you can't see where the trailer is going, and few times we did it (borrowed one), we would misjudge curbs etc, and I was scared it would tip.

Of course, we don't have as many dedicated bike lanes as they do in the Netherlands. We only ride with DS on bike paths for that reason. Drivers just aren't good about watching out for cyclists. So I don't think I would use either the box on front of the bike or a bike trailer on a busy road.

[brittone2]

THat's what I was wondering...was it like this or a DIY knockoff?

[FTMLuc]

it was a DIY knock off. The sides were lower than the wagons in the link above, and were made of two horisontal boards, not a solid side.