Terrible how?
Many places it is as safe and sometimes even safer than a car, because many places here now have bicycle routes.
I hope you don’t raise kids in a country where this isn’t safe.
The bike is fine, it’s probably you or your country that is the problem.
Because its size and weight make it harder to balance and maneuver. In city traffic, drivers often misjudge its turning radius or stopping distance. If it tips or hits uneven pavement, a child seated in front is exposed with minimal protection compared to a car. Poor visibility and lack of safety features like airbags or enclosed space add to the risk.
None of those issues are serious in reality, they follow roads and bicycle paths fine, and they are driven relatively slowly, so break distance is not a problem. If there were real safety issues I guarantee you it would be regulated here.
We’ve had special bikes like these since 1929 without problems, but the one shown above were only for goods, not for children. And is very rarely seen since the 70’s. But we are used to that kind of bigger bikes in traffic.
Regarding poor visibility that’s just a sign you are grasping at straws, nothing has better visibility than a bike. Visibility is far worse in a car, and a car drives faster. A bike has no blind spots, it has no windshield that can be dirty, and you sit higher on a bike and can see more than in most cars. You don’t need an airbag when you are doing 10-15 km/h.
You won’t convince me on this one. Common sense tells me it can’t be “safe” when something has no real protection at all. What surprises me even more is that there’s no regulation about it, in a country where almost every aspect of life is tightly controlled. It feels just as strange as how e‑scooters suddenly became acceptable overnight.
Personally, I’d never transport any living being in one of those boxes, neither a child nor an animal. In the end, it’s not your own speed that matters, but that of the others on the road, and no amount of balance helps when you’re up against a ton of steel. And even putting others aside, one careless move of your own can be enough. At 10 or 15 km/h, it might not sound like much, but that’s still more than enough to create a very sad situation.
What surprises me even more is that there’s no regulation about it,
There is regulation about lights and reflexes, to make bikes visible in traffic. But safety comes mostly from low speed. IDK if they are mandatory for children, but many people use helmets.
They are obviously just as safe as normal bicycles, and way safer than a moped and 1000 times safer than a motorbike.
The risk of a dangerous accident is way higher in a car. 2 bikes bumping into each other or into a pedestrian rarely cause any injury at all.
I have concerns about children in the cargo spot. Are helmets and any kind of safety seats mandatory for children as passengers in this vehicles in Germany?
I am not in Germany, and have no idea about German regulation, I am in Denmark. These bikes are extremely popular in Denmark and Netherlands more so than in Germany.
Your concerns are based on unfamiliarity with the concept. Some of the things you suggest are really really far out and irrelevant in reality.
It’s a terrible and unsafe solution to drive someone in that cab.
Terrible how?
Many places it is as safe and sometimes even safer than a car, because many places here now have bicycle routes.
I hope you don’t raise kids in a country where this isn’t safe.
The bike is fine, it’s probably you or your country that is the problem.
Because its size and weight make it harder to balance and maneuver. In city traffic, drivers often misjudge its turning radius or stopping distance. If it tips or hits uneven pavement, a child seated in front is exposed with minimal protection compared to a car. Poor visibility and lack of safety features like airbags or enclosed space add to the risk.
None of those issues are serious in reality, they follow roads and bicycle paths fine, and they are driven relatively slowly, so break distance is not a problem. If there were real safety issues I guarantee you it would be regulated here.
We’ve had special bikes like these since 1929 without problems, but the one shown above were only for goods, not for children. And is very rarely seen since the 70’s. But we are used to that kind of bigger bikes in traffic.
Regarding poor visibility that’s just a sign you are grasping at straws, nothing has better visibility than a bike. Visibility is far worse in a car, and a car drives faster. A bike has no blind spots, it has no windshield that can be dirty, and you sit higher on a bike and can see more than in most cars. You don’t need an airbag when you are doing 10-15 km/h.
You won’t convince me on this one. Common sense tells me it can’t be “safe” when something has no real protection at all. What surprises me even more is that there’s no regulation about it, in a country where almost every aspect of life is tightly controlled. It feels just as strange as how e‑scooters suddenly became acceptable overnight.
Personally, I’d never transport any living being in one of those boxes, neither a child nor an animal. In the end, it’s not your own speed that matters, but that of the others on the road, and no amount of balance helps when you’re up against a ton of steel. And even putting others aside, one careless move of your own can be enough. At 10 or 15 km/h, it might not sound like much, but that’s still more than enough to create a very sad situation.
There is regulation about lights and reflexes, to make bikes visible in traffic. But safety comes mostly from low speed. IDK if they are mandatory for children, but many people use helmets.
They are obviously just as safe as normal bicycles, and way safer than a moped and 1000 times safer than a motorbike.
The risk of a dangerous accident is way higher in a car. 2 bikes bumping into each other or into a pedestrian rarely cause any injury at all.
I have concerns about children in the cargo spot. Are helmets and any kind of safety seats mandatory for children as passengers in this vehicles in Germany?
I am not in Germany, and have no idea about German regulation, I am in Denmark. These bikes are extremely popular in Denmark and Netherlands more so than in Germany.
Your concerns are based on unfamiliarity with the concept. Some of the things you suggest are really really far out and irrelevant in reality.
Which of them?