Kids and helmets

[budman]

Many of us parents will engage with our children in Moto riding or in Go Karting and I must admit I really had little idea about what kind of helmet a child should be wearing.

Well Snell Foundation has thought this through a bit and has a recommendation.
Because of a child's neck muscles being substantially weaker than an adults the weight of the helmet becomes a critical part of the equation.

Check this out for information.
http://www.smf.org/standards/cmh/cms_cmr_final_10-01-2007b.php

To be honest I have not done the math to figure it all out, but if your thinking about a helmet for your little one perhaps this will help.

The topic of children on the back of street bikes is soon to be hitting Sacramento after the death of a 4 year old recently.

 

[latindane]

Thanks budman; wonder when will be the first time that my kid asks me to ride on the back or get a moto (mini dirt bike probably) himself...

 

[Nitewaif]

I wear Shoei xxs, and they're pretty lightweight. They're pretty hard to find (I have to order helmets online), so I can't imagine trying to outfit a kid with full gear. Being a smallish woman, it's hard enough to find gear.

 

[Aruna]

The topic of children on the back of street bikes is soon to be hitting Sacramento after the death of a 4 year old recently.

Kids die in cars ALL the time, yet no-one is against putting your kids in the back of the car. :wtf

 

[budman]

Well that is because we all have to travel. Joe Public need to get his child from here to there and there have been a lot of things that affect how we transport our kids.

The Moto is seen as dangerous by Joe and having a child on the back is mostly seen as insane by Mr. And Mrs. Public.

So I think your :wtf falls on deaf ears my friend.

 

[Aruna]

So I think your :wtf falls on deaf ears my friend.

Yes, I realise it does. It just... baffles me. I guess people will always rail against things they see as dangerous and don't fully understand. :dunno

 

[budman]

Yes they will. A big part of why Motorcyclist have an uphill battle.

 

[Alan_Hepburn]

Kids die in cars ALL the time, yet no-one is against putting your kids in the back of the car. :wtf

Maybe not, but you can't just toss your kid in the back seat and go - you need an approved car seat properly strapped down, until they reach a certain age/weight, then an approved booster seat properly strapped down until they reach the next age/weight milestone. And heaven forbid if you ever put your kid in the front seat!

 

[NTron3000]

My eldest just asked to go for a ride with me. He's 6. His little brother (now 3) was ready to ride at 2 but his feet don't reach the pegs so...
So I am researching how to gear him up the big guy. This is good info - though that spec sheet is a little tldr... but I'm working though it.

 

[NTron3000]

... And heaven forbid if you ever put your kid in the front seat!

I tend to be of a similar mind and regularly tell people how we grew up drinking from the garden hose and riding to town sitting on the engine block of pops van and we all survived (even with him drinking that six pack on the drive home). But then I told that story to a coworker and he got kind of quiet. Then he told the story of why one of his legs is 1/2 inch shorter. Apparently when he was 3 and his mother was popping out his little sister he and his dad got in a car crash on the way to the hospital and thanks to not having seat-belts on got pretty messed up. Point being not everyone got through those unregulated times unscathed.

 

[kiltwearinfool]

wonder when will be the first time that my kid asks me to ride on the back or get a moto (mini dirt bike probably) himself...

...you can't just toss your kid in the back seat and go - you need an approved car seat properly strapped down, until they reach a certain age/weight, then an approved booster seat properly strapped down until they reach the next age/weight milestone...

One of my bikes has a sidecar. I've tried, and the car seat fits in it. Just sayin'.

 

[packnrat]

all this shlt about child safety, (not that i am ageist it), but how the heii did we ever grow up with out maiming or killing ourselves?
running with sharp things, eating and swimming (not waiting a hr), ridding a moto with NO bucket on our heads, playing with bb/peltet guns (shooting each other that is), riding in the front seat of a car and NO seat belt even in said car, moving around and NOT tied down in the back of a open pu truck, etc, etc, etc.

safety is one thing buy this world has gone off the deep end about it.
some twenty years back i took my daughter on a very short ride on my bike, NO buckets on either of us. but yes just in a parking lot as i believed she was too young to go for a real ride. only about 6 or 7 years of age.
she was between me and the tank this way my arms held her in place.
never got out of first gear. just a put-put in a apt parking lot.

fear is good but it should not control how we live.

 

[Aruna]

Maybe not, but you can't just toss your kid in the back seat and go - you need an approved car seat properly strapped down, until they reach a certain age/weight, then an approved booster seat properly strapped down until they reach the next age/weight milestone. And heaven forbid if you ever put your kid in the front seat!

Right, but you could gear up your kid really well and people would STILL freak out that they were on the back of a bike in the first place. If you use the right safety equipment in the car then no-one thinks twice about transporting their kids.

 

[Alan_Hepburn]

One of my bikes has a sidecar. I've tried, and the car seat fits in it. Just sayin'.

Yup - but he still needs a helmet in the car seat! We've actually taken him around campgrounds with him sitting in my wife's lap in the sidecar (none of us wearing helmets!) and he thinks he's Top Dog!

 

[gtec]

fear is good but it should not control how we live.

I totally agree with your sentiment. But it's not fear, it's (money) the people who lobby for the changes. The (biggest pockets) loudest voices are those who tend to regulate the laws that try to regulate OUR lives.

So we abide to the laws that (control) govern us and follow the (marketing) recommendations of the Snell Foundation.

My 2 cents...

 

[clutchslip]

I totally agree with your sentiment. But it's not fear, it's (money) the people who lobby for the changes. The (biggest pockets) loudest voices are those who tend to regulate the laws that try to regulate OUR lives.

So we abide to the laws that (control) govern us and follow the (marketing) recommendations of the Snell Foundation.

My 2 cents...

Perhaps you should pick another target, rather than the Snell Foundation, which is non-profit. DOT specifications are required in the United States. Snell specifications are only required by certain racing organizations, as far as I know.

 

[MSHax]

I see this started last year, but there doesn't seem to be much activity in this section of the forum, so I'll chime in.

Here's my 2cents:
People are whiny! Plain and simple. No matter what you do, people will alway react to every situation. If you bubble wrap a kid and only let them play with nerf balls, people will whine that the child doesn't get to experience life. If you take the bubble wrap off, that same person will say you're endangering your child.

I am a parent, not just any parent, an over protective parent. I have 2 boys, 7 & 6, I am deathly afraid that they'll get hurt on everything, but at the same time, I'm afraid they won't get hurt. Confused? Here's the deal, I have a friend who is 19, and lived under the protective bubble of over protective parents. She stubbed her toe (not cut it off, not broke it, just stubbed it), she FREAKED the hell out, and asked someone to take her to the hospital. I replied with a lovingly "Shut the f*** up, you'll be alright", and you know what? She was!! OMG SHE DIDN'T DIE!!! People like this are products of not experiencing life, and yes, bad things are life experience too. Now I'm not saying go out and get your kid permanently disfigured, or killed, BUT let them have fun, if they get a little hurt, it's good for them.

Currently: my 2 kids have a quad each, and a pocket bike each. Yup, those pocket bikes the police impounded from us all about 15 years ago, they're still around. I make them wear helmets (properly sized, and test fitted), they wear gloves, boots, jeans, and a jacket with elbow pads in them. When they're on the quads, and hitting jumps, they have to wear the chest/spine protection.

Also: I ride them on the back of my motorcycles (not both, but one at a time). Is a 4 year old too young to ride on the back of a bike? Uh...I'd say so, the law states they have to be able to touch the pegs, but who knows, there are a LOT of large 4 year olds, maybe the child could touch the pegs.
Do I ride differently when one of my kids is on the back? HELL YEAH I do!
Am I going on the freeway and lane splitting? NO FREAKIN WAY!!
BUT, around town, slow starts, and with a grab handle belt, I totally ride them around, they love it! They like the sport bikes better than the harley, but I still don't ride fast with them on the back.

Here's a tip for gear:
Helmet - try to get a carbon fiber helmet for a child (yes they're expense, but it's safer, and MUCH lighter. The neck strength thing is legit, some helmets are heavy. But motocross helmets, and carbon fiber full face, are light)
Gloves are awesome, and cheap. My hands are all scared up from a horrible combination of fighting, and motorcycles. Gloves would have prevented the motorcycle scars.
Spine protection/chest plate - Fits under a jacket, and they are extremely helpful if things do go badly.
Boots - Steal toe boots come in all sizes, and they're cheap

And not that I work for them, or anything, but cyclegear is a great source. They have loads of child gear, or can order it, and still have the same fitment return policy.

fyi:
Something to think about, and when you see me with one of my kids on the back of my bikes, feel free to freak out, I don't care how people react.

 

[afm199]

Two days ago I saw an asshat with his 6 year old on the back ( that size kid, anyway) wearing (the kid) a cheap bicycle helmet, tshirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. Fackkkk Dad of course had much more gear.

My first ride was tshirt, jeans and boots. No helmet, no nothing. Still remember how excited I was.

 

[ThumperX]

My first ride was in a little dress wearing patent leather mary-janes, I was on the tank in front of my sister, who was in front of my dad, with my big sister behind Pop.

It's pretty interesting how many Australian tourists come into work excited to be able to find kids gear at Cycle Gear.