mihlbach

Between my two sons, I've transported kids in trailers and on trail-a-bikes to daycare and other destinations for at least five years, all year long, rain or shine, at least 5 days a week, and during the dark in winter months. I started them both in the trailer when they were approaching their first birthday. For one year, my older son even rode his 18" mini BMX on the 5-mile RT to daycare BEFORE he started kindergarten. Probably will do the same thing with #2 when he's old enough. When the youngest starts school it will all end because school is only 3-blocks away and easier to just walk.

I've encountered some really stupid driving on these trips with the kids, but have never felt my kids were put in a life-threatening situation, either due to traffic or exposure to the elements. We've actually had more hair-raising experiences walking around the neighborhood then we ever have had cycling on roads.

My oldest son (presently 6) had more experience riding on roads by his 5th birthday than most adults will ever have. Most of the teenagers in the neighborhood ride their BMXs around in the evenings without reflective gear and without regard to any road rules. He sees them and immediately calls out their stupid, risky behaviors. Rather than considering all the riding he has done as an added risk, one could argue that his early development of cycling skills has really mitigated future risk.

I have never encountered any serious resistance from other people regarding commuting with kids, aside from occasional (and not unexpected) comments about being crazy and so forth. People tend to think that I am most nuts when ice and snow is involved, but I have generally found that traffic goes way around you when pulling a kiddie trailer in these situations.

In my experience trailers are very safe, including situations (e.g ice, extreme cold, extreme rain) that may not be safe with the kid mounted directly on the bike. I have fallen maybe twice (ice) over the years with the trailer in tow, the trailer always stays upright. On the other hand, I have actually flipped the trailer exactly twice...once the right trailer wheel launched off the curb at speed and was dragged on its side for a good distance before I realized what had happened. Another time the trailer flipped when I made a very sharp sudden turn. We have a Burley Solo trailer, which is a pretty narrow trailer and probably more prone to flipping than a wider trailer intended for 2 kids. However, I do not believe flipping the trailer at reasonable speeds is a serious concern..it didn't make me crash and the kid was always unharmed. Both times my son just thought it was fun to get flipped. I once had the trailer up to 35+ mph going downhill with no problems (although I don't recommend this for obvious reasons). Good quality trailers are pretty safe if you have the kid strapped in correctly.