Advocacy & Safety - Baby Carriers - likelihood of injury

I can't seem to find any safety information about those baby trailers that hitch to the back of a bike. How visible are they to turning cars? How badly can child be injured in one of these trailers?

Anyone know of URLS of studies or traffic fatalities that occurred when children ride in these?

Comparing a Baby carrier that sits directly behind the rider and the trailer which is more safe? In an accident, how do children fare in either of these types of carriers?

Put a flag on the trailer, and they'll see it just as well as they see you. If you fall over on the bike, the trailer shouldn't go over, but the seat on the back of the bike ensures that the little one's head is going to hit the pavement.

I recently bought one because I have my 1-year-old neice this week. It got it's first road test today. I can't offer any real data, only my own observations. I had one in the past, actually my wife and I both had them, but that was back in my Wally World bike days.

I got the Co-Pilot "Taxi" from Performance. The back of it is pretty tall, tall enough for her head to be protected. The helmet doesn't extend past the top of the seat. She seems to keep her arms inboard, and it has foot straps to keep the feet and legs from protruding. It's plenty solid, and I didn't notice any appreciable difference in the handling of the bike. It's mounted on my Allez, and I'm about 200 lbs., so my size might tend to make it more stable, but I felt fine up to the 25+ MPH that I rode today.

As far as visibility goes, I felt like I was given a little more room than usual today, and noticed a couple of people taking a good look as they went by. It was kind of like having one of my kids ride with me, I seem to get a little more room then as well. In any case I think people realize what it is and tend to notice the seat.

I asked the same question when I started trailering my kids, and I remember reading somewhere that there were no statistically valid comparisons of the accident rates of trailers vs. carriers because the accident rates were so miniscule. Basically, parents ride very carefully when their kids are in tow, and the accident rates for careful adult cyclists are close to zero.

Here's a data point: Adams recently recalled 80,000 trail-a-bikes because there were two reports of the hitch separating, with one injury reported.

I've always thought trailers were safer, ultimately.

My son love's his trailer and I have enough room that in the year my daughter can start riding in the trailer instead of her Mommy's tummy (she's due in Oct. - so I got a year before I can take her with my son in the trailer).

Trailers good for LT training:p

The Burley line is by far the safest child trailer available. Redicuously well constructed with an effective safety harness and a roll cage.

I have a two seater Burley with the bumpers on each side. I also put my 22 month old in a helmet. :) The most difficult thing, and it's not difficult at all, is getting used to the extra length in the back. This is especially true when crossing streets. Make sure the trailer is safely through and give yourself extra time when crossing.

Is there a minimum age when you can put the kids in a trailer? My wife was due last tuesday, so we'll have our first here shortly.

Injury rates for trailer users are lower than for child seats up on the bike, because the child seats result in more falls, particularly when the adult is mounting and dismounting the bike. In all types of falls, the child in the child seat hits the ground harder than does the strapped-in trailer occupant, who may not hit anything, especially if the trailer stays upright, which it usually does.

There are very few car-trailer crashes for data comparison, but I saw a European study once that concluded that trailers tend to get pushed out of the way in a crash, while child seats more likely result in children being thrown up in the air. The study recommended trailers as being safer.

Is there a minimum age when you can put the kids in a trailer? My wife was due last tuesday, so we'll have our first here shortly.

Congrats. I don't think there's a legal limit, it's more common sense. IMHO, I wouldn't put a kid in a trailer until he/she can hold up their head strongly and proper fit a helmet. In California, the law states that cyclists under 18 must wear a helmet. Other states vary.

Congrats. I don't think there's a legal limit, it's more common sense. IMHO, I wouldn't put a kid in a trailer until he/she can hold up their head strongly and proper fit a helmet. In California, the law states that cyclists under 18 must wear a helmet. Other states vary.

This is the advice we got from our pediatrician, too. I think the twins were just short of 9 months when I put them in the Chariot.

As far as how young...

I was towing our oldest around when she was ~6 months. The only way this was possible was by strapping her car seat in the bike trailer (the car seat was the type with a separate base). If you use a car seat then it's virtually the same for the baby as riding in the car.

Since there wasn't room in the trailer for a car-seat and a toddler we didn't start towing our second daughter until she was just over a year old. At that age she could sit up and support her head so didn't need the car seat.

I don't put helmets on the kids in the trailer as the trailer provides good protection. I'm too worried about what could happen with those nylon straps around their necks.

Regarding traffic I've found that car drivers are much more careful when they see the trailer. I've even had oncoming traffic slow down and move over!

Some links:

http://www.bhsi.org/little1s.htm
http://www.bhsi.org/kidseats.htm
http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/154/4/351?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=trailers&searchid=1104693386147_392&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&journalcode=archpedi

The third link is the study I was alluding to earlier. In the period 1990 to 1998, the researchers were able to identify 49 injuries involving carriers or trailers, of which 4 required hospitalization. Basically, this number is so low that it's impossible to draw any statistical inference other than that there is no particular danger to taking your kid on the bike with you.

To put these numbers in perspective, this averages out to about 5 injuries per year. The CPSC estimates there are about 500,000 bicycle-related injuries per year that require a hospital visit, and another 610,000 that require medical attention outside of a hospital. A toddler in a trailer is safer than an adult on a bicycle.

Notwithstanding the statistical irrelevance of the numbers, there are some interesting tidbits. Of the 49 injuries, 43 were from carriers and 6 were from trailers, but of the 4 hospital trips 2 were from trailers and 2 from carriers. Of the 49 injuries, 6 involved automobiles, 4 with carriers and 2 with trailers. Accidents with automobiles are a much bigger factor for trailers than they are for carriers.

The bhsi.org pages are admittedly alarmist, and talk about the hypothetical possibility of brain or tissue damage due to vibration from taking a too-young kid on a bike. It's a valid concern but there's no scientific evidence to support it.

Don't forget to check for clearance when you put your child in a trailer with a helmet on. I've read on here that sometrailers don't have enough room behind the head, and people need to put a cushion behind the child, otherwise, the helmet against the back fabric pushes the child's head down.

In a bike fall accident, the trailer is safer. Even if the trailer rolls over, the child(ren) should be belted in,and the trailer usually has a roll cage to protect the occupents.

As for age, you should go by the child's muscular-skeletal devlopment. The child should be able to sit up and hold his/her head up with a helmet on, on his/her own. Usually that occurs around 6-9 months. Equipment manufactuers recommendations vary between 9 to 18 months. These guidlines apply to both seats and trailers.

Best safty tip: ride the little ones on roads with little traffic and slow speed limits, or on bike paths/lesuire trails.

I like the idea of the padding behind the child. We just got a Schwinn Trailer for my one year old to ride in (If I had found this site before I probably would have bought the burley) With his helmet on it pushes it over his eyes to the point he can't see. So I will try the padding behind him and see if that make it better.

I can't seem to find any safety information about those baby trailers that hitch to the back of a bike. How visible are they to turning cars? How badly can child be injured in one of these trailers?

Anyone know of URLS of studies or traffic fatalities that occurred when children ride in these?

I couldn't believe it the other day. There was this beautiful girl hauling one of those baby carriers attached to the rear of her mountain bike. She was really cranking over a bridge (standing up). When she hit the flats, she really seemed to be moving out smartly so I paced her to the rear, and she was doing 19.7 mph on a moutain bike pulling a baby. Perhaps she was a pro - she sure had a super body! :D

Perhaps she was a pro - she sure had a super body!

That's fast. I ride on a local paved trail, and I'll periodically hit 19 or so with my trailer on the flats and mild downhills, but I cruise at closer to 16-17... that's riding pretty hard AND on a road bike.

I generally only overtake casual riders at my speeds. Once, I passed an older gent on a road bike, but I killed myself doing it, and got passed again shortly afterwards.

A similar event ocurred when I passed a fit woman on a MTB... I kept the same pace, but a few minutes later, she was passing. I guess getting passed by a trailer caused the competitive instinct to kick in.

BTW, Burley recommends that you not exceed 15 mph, for what that's worth.

Is there a minimum age when you can put the kids in a trailer? My wife was due last tuesday, so we'll have our first here shortly.


Most owners manuals say 1 year old, fit a helmet and able to support their neck and head well. The smallest helmets normally fit a 1 year.