Safety Tips When Riding a Bicycle With a Child on the Back

Once you’ve secured an approved child safety seat on the back of your bicycle and you’ve properly equipped your child with a snug-fitting helmet, you’re ready to hit the trails of Orange County in Orange, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Irvine, and Santa Margarita. But riding with a child on the back of a bicycle in California cities like Orange County and Los Angeles is still dangerous no matter how many precautions you take and leads to many childhood injuries.

When you place your child on the back of the bike, or when you are taking them off the bike, be sure to straddle the bike and stabilize it with your legs. Trusting the kickstand to keep the bike up is a mistake. The kickstand is only meant to support the weight of the bicycle (about 20 lbs. or less on average) and not the additional weight of your child. Stabilization can be difficult for shorter parents and care givers. Take additional precautions or get assistance when placing your child in the bike seat. Also, be careful when stopping and starting back out.

If you’ve never ridden with a child on the back of the bike, take some time and start slowly. Get used to the additional weight before you set out on longer rides. Finally, avoid dressing your children in loose fitting clothes like scarves, mufflers, and don’t let them play with anything while riding on the back. The last thing you want to have happen is a toy or juice cup getting caught in the wheel or having your child reach into the spokes for something he or she has dropped and then to suffer wrongful death of a child.

Stick to the paved trails of Orange County while riding with a child on the bike prevent bike injuries to children. Going off-trail will make for a bumpy ride and can cause injury to your child from the jostling and jarring they will be subject to. Finally, avoid riding at night with a child on the back. You are more likely to be involved in a collision while riding at night. When injured while riding a bike in Orange County or LA, contact experienced bicycle accident lawyers in Los Angeles cities like Santa Monica, Marina del Rey, or Hermosa Beach, or even Newport Beach by calling 1-888-400-9721.