- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
Frog 52 - full bikeMost parents would support a mandatory helmet law for children, claims surge - safety concerns are paramount
The vast majority of parents think helmets should be compulsory on the road, according to a survey by the children’s bike manufacturer Frog timed to coincide with National Bike Week.
In the poll of more than 1,000 people, it turned out safety concerns were paramount for those with children riding, with 85 per cent backing mandatory helmets and 74 per cent saying they would pay to ensure the children took a cycling proficiency test.
But that’s not putting parents off, with only one in five (22 per cent) saying the roads were too dangerous to allow their child to cycle more often.
However it does seem that kids’ bikes need a tune up more often than they currently receive with only a quarter (24 per cent) having an annual MOT and safety check.
Frog Bikes Technical Manger Stephen Johnson said: “Just like an adult bike a child’s bike is not just a toy and also needs to be inspected and serviced by a qualified mechanic at least once a year, all the moving parts such as cables, bearings, brake pads, chain and tyres over a period of time will start to wear and if not attended to could become unsafe and in extreme cases dangerous to ride.
“A basic service/ inspection at a reputable bike store is not expensive and would give you peace of mind knowing your child is safe, as well as keeping up the bikes second hand value.”
There is no fear about the new generation of cyclists according to the study, with over 99 per cent of parents still believe learning to cycle is important.
71 per cent of parents felt their children should cycle more than they currently do but lack of time was cited by 38 per cent of respondents. A quarter of respondents said they do cycle at least three times a week however.
Latest Comments
- ktache 45 min 26 sec ago
The small frame, the aggressive posture, lots of standover height.
- mctrials23 1 hour 41 min ago
As i've said before, the police should be sued for a lot of money when someone they have knowingly ignored has gone on to commit a serious crime....
- David9694 1 hour 48 min ago
'Bad parking' blocks firefighters multiple times on same emergency call-out...
- David9694 1 hour 52 min ago
Cambridgeshire boy, 13, crashes Audi into garden wall after taking it from home...
- Adam Sutton 2 hours 38 min ago
Good stuff. Now do it on cycleway C9 through Hammersmith to Chiswick.
- mark1a 2 hours 47 min ago
It's technically allowed but it's not known as "London's Orbital Car Park" for nothing.
- Dogless 3 hours 55 min ago
You're defending bombing hospitals and refugee camps and starving children.
- mattw 6 hours 35 min ago
Used car salesman is a complete attention-seeking plank....
- tubasti 6 hours 52 min ago
I don't know if they're any better, but they's certainly become more boring.
- FionaJJ 7 hours 18 min ago
At risk of being cynical, and stereotyping the police, it's so they don't have to leave the comfort of their panda cars and pursue on foot when...
Add new comment
43 comments
Well, if they were asking for a law that only applied to their children I doubt anyone would object!
So what is stopping them imposing helmet wearing on their own children? Why the need to try to impose laws on those of us who are not their children?
They were asked a question, simple and they gave an answer. These parents are not starting a petition to get the law changed however if they were i would gladly sign it even if it just upset some of the pretentious muppets on this forum.
Not many helmets worn in Groningen (did make me shudder a bit)... http://bit.ly/1lJLNTf When I first cycled in London (30+ years ago) I felt the need for a smog mask before a helmet..
My kids wear cycle helmets when they're racing, tho my oldest doesn't do that much any more. My youngest wears a lid when he's at the skatepark with me too. Messing up a jump on a concrete ramp really hurts.
They don't wear helmets for riding on the road.
Fine. So simply put, what was the wording of the question? And where can I find the survey data? Because I can't find the info on the frog website, and their twitter feed just points to the bikeradar article.
If they'd had the decency to explain the details themselves then my pitchfork might have been shelved...
And stumps, thanks for being honest that you want to use the law to force my kids to behave a certain way, despite a lack of evidence of any benefit to that behaviour, because you think I'm a "pretentious muppet". Nice.
Stumps, have you stopped raping cats yet? Please tick yes or no. A simple question m'lud, yet the defendant refuses to answer it.
Numpty.
haha lush keeping it coming matey, it never ceases to amaze me how some people have to stoop so low as to try and make a forum user look stupid because they didnt like what was posted.
Also pmanc - i never called you a pretentious muppet i said some on the forum were which is completely different. As for the law - should i disregard it because i dont agree with some of it ???????????
I suspect that very few people properly consider the implications of such a law.
The simple gut response is "Children. More safety. Good".
The argument that such a law may actually cause greater harm than good (as it has in other countries) is much more nuanced and is easily overlooked, or simply dismissed as the mad ramblings of some anti-helmet lunatic who wants to kill our children.
Am I being naive, stupid, or what ?
Surely if it's true what was mentioned earlier, that kids under 11 cannot break the law as far as our judicial system is concerned,
then all talk of a law to enforce helmet wearing amongst them is just a waste of time.
In theory I think they could just fine/prosecute the parents or responsible adults. Like truancy.
In practise it wouldn't really be enforced much, but would be used as another way to ensure that dangerous drivers are not prosecuted fully and that insurers can wangle out of claims.
Couldn't agree more.
About 38 years ago I got into bike riding and a couple of weeks later racing and have had a string of bikes ever since. At the moment I have four bikes (road, touring, MTB and folding) and have previopusly had track and motorpaced bikes. My road bike is around 30 years old and my MTB over 20.
None of my bikes, nor my children's bikes, has ever had an anual check or service and never will, because like very many cyclists I check and adjust them far more frequently.
if you poke around the frog website and blog you can find the link to the questionnaire and the actual questions asked
http://voxpopuk.com/survey/?survey=5c71043
the helmet compulsion question is a straight yes /no
the road.cc article states the poll had 1000 responses but doesn't indicate if this was a representative survey - for lots of surveys (not polls) a sample of 1000 is a pretty credible number so that adds some weight to the headline
Went and looked for the survey because this surprised me:
"with only one in five (22 per cent) saying the roads were too dangerous to allow their child to cycle more often."
and if you look at the survey this is a pretty open response question - if you took that figure then kids being able to cycle to the shops / school / sports venues / friends on their isn't a problem for parents?
footnote
for me helmet not essential - if riding to school / shops but no jumps / hops or manuals allowed
riding on own - no. just too many drivers in a hurry
Pages