Reply to Commuting to school by e-bike?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Cars are dangerous too. So is walking in the city especially some intersections. You have to take some risks [/quote]

Kids in cars are strapped in and surrounded by air bags and a two ton steel cage. Kids on bikes have nothing except their crappy little plastic helmets (and sometimes not even that). [/quote]

I don't think there is enough data to really know what the odds are at this point. You have to consider the behavior in the whole context. With an ebike I am probably living a less vehicle centered life, traveling at much lower speeds, on much less busy streets. I am an adult experienced rider, not a child. And I am using a well maintained ebike that I am not modifying to go higher speeds. The odds being quoted in those sensationalist articles are not considering the use case we are discussing here.

Nonetheless, I do think it carries increased risks compared to other transit methods. I wish there was better data to know what those odds are.[/quote]

As a driver, I expect that sooner or later, I will be in a crash, regardless of how safely I drive because there's a lot of people moving around and people make bad decisions. Those on two wheels should assume the same. [/quote]

+1 and I say this as a huge cycling advocate who does most of my travel around town on bike or on foot. My spouse is an excellent cyclist who is very careful, always wears a helmet, and very used to riding in DC. He was once T-boned by a vehicle making an illegal left turn and wound up in the ER. There was no way for him to prevent the accident unless he literally stopped and looked for people making illegal left turns at every intersection. That driver wasn't even moving that fast -- estimated at 10 miles an hour. But because of the angle at which they hit DH, he was thrown over the hood of their car. He was injured but luckily his helmet protected his head and he didn't need major surgery.

But the thought of that happening to one of our kids? I don't even want to think about it. If I'm walking with them on foot, I can easily check for cars doing that kind of thing at every intersection without it slowing us down. If we're driving, I have more confidence other cars can see me plus the car has enough built-in protection that an accident occurring at 10 miles an hour would likely result in no injuries at all. On a bike? People need to be realistic about what risks they are taking putting their kids in that situation.[/quote]

People tend to ride a lot more cautiously when they're with kids. Quieter routes, slower speeds, head on a swivel.[/quote]

People in cars don't drive more cautiously because you have your kids on an e-bike. [/quote]

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