3 sleeping kids on a 40km bike ride

[jonasjar]

To me this looks like a symbol for the best things in life, this is the meaning of a civilized society.

[tubberus]

Kudos for being an model father and an enduring cyclist

[r0bertN]

NL: Ik vind die bakfiets ook echt een geweldige uitvinding! Ik leg er geen kinderen in, maar wel andere dingen zoals mijn boodschappen =)

Best leuk om al die "buitenlandse" comments te lezen!

Zeker als ze positief zijn, Whaha!

ENG: I also think that the carrier bicycle is a tremendous invention!

I don't use it for kids but for other stuff such as groceries =)

It's nice to hear all the "foreign" comments.

Especially when they're positive, whaha!

[TequilaThunder]

I don't think it's too unsafe. The kids would absorb most of the shock if there was an impact, and the driver should be ok.

[swimmy3181]

I miss The Netherlands!! My husband and I were there in May '08 and loved it! I wish we could raise our family there! I love this video!!

[1crazyfocker]

its funny how there is not one video on youtube that does not have at least one moron statesomething that "you the video taker/poster" is doing wrong, yet i bet they are a lot worse of a parent then you are(if they even are parents) plus you are spend real time with your kids, I bet they barely spend 1/4 the time with there kids, let alone spend that time in a bonding way, anyways great video, the bike looks great, was thinking of getting one, or building one, thanks for shareing

[nye1956]

Frank this video clip is beautiful, thanks for sharing it and keep it up! :o)

[klasina]

Aaaah how cute! I was looking for the third kid but it was on the 'pakjedrager' haha ;-)

And as a dutch mom i can only say you look everything BUT careless. You are taking your children on a 40km bikeride in fresh air while they can sleep and grow all at the same time (Y)

[ididtube]

I confirm that from the Dutch perspective, the absolute insistence on bicycle helmets looks like an peculiar American obsession.

Have a look here for an interesting reading:

policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/puc­her/irresistible.pdf

[ubrayj02]

I do the same with my daughter here in L.A., and it is magic! Thanks for posting this video online. I knew I wasn't alone, but it helps to see the proof!

No helmet on my daughter either when she's taking a nap. How's a kid supposed to stretch out and relax with one of those things jamming their little neck a weird angle.

Let the safety fetishists cram their kids into cars.

[truegamer4ever]

This is cool, only thing I would hate to see would be a crash.

[arrawa]

I am quite sure that all those people who talk about helmets never went to the Netherlands. Here only children wear them when they are cycling on their own bikes -mainly because they tend to fall over because of a lack of control.

For the rest of the Dutch, there are many bike lanes and car drivers who are used to bikes. On places where cars may drive 100 km/h or more, no bikes are allowed. And most of the other roads are too small to drive fast anyway.

[IhaveaKugelschreiber]

Don't know why the paranoid police have hooked onto this video, but I find this absolutely beautiful. Your kids will look back on these days, riding with dad on luscious green trails sleeping in a cargobike, as the best days of their lives, and your relationship with your kids will benefit from it.

I wanna do a trip to Europe, check out a nice place to live in case my daily struggle to combat with cars becomes too bothersome.

[xtravaganzagold]

"who needs a car"

if you continue to ride with children without using helmets , you will definitelly need once a car , or an ambulance ..

please dont risk your children's safety

[frankvanschaik]

i see i come across like a risky dad, which i'm not... i'm carless not careless!

i wonder who of you have experienced the daily dutch reality of bike-oriented traffic. i can imagine cycling in many car-countries can be a dangerous adventure. but the number of traffic victims in the Netherlands is 'low' (in 2007: 43 deaths per million: 709 deaths, of which 147 cyclists, of which 2 under the age of 9) and decreasing for the past 15 years. in the US: 142 deaths per million (steadyish since 1998)...

[frankvanschaik]

however, the helmet issue is another thing. i know it is much safer, and we actually have used bike helmets for the oldest two for more than a year (after a small bike accident which resulted in a bump on their heads), but to be frank (..) we stopped because of the hassle. but the oldest one definitely puts one on when he rides his own bike.

anyway, this video was basically meant to show the beauty of the bike and the possibilities.

frank

[frankvanschaik]

from the filmer:

hi papooses & xzaz,

thanks for the discussion. i've noticed us dutchies are notorious for being easy-going with (perceived) risks, for ourselves as well as for our kids. we've travelled with our kids outside Europe a few times, and have always got remarks about it. we tend to call it "loving neglection": let them face (small) risks and find out the (small) consequences, and they grow up as independent individuals who dare to take initiative.

(+ see next reaction)

[DavidHembrow]

Frank, don't worry about it. Children in the Netherlands face far fewer problems than those in the countries where the complaints are coming from (google for "why are dutch children so happy" to read a BBC article about this), and the Netherlands has the safest cyclists in the world due to the quality of the infrastructure (with no helmets required). What you are doing is normal and reasonable in context.

The people complaining don't understand as they have not seen it in context. Come and see!

[PapoosesCPST]

I would *love!* this . . . if they were wearing helmets, too =)

[xzaz2]

Where does that come from, so they should wear complete body armor. Look at that road what could pos. go wrong?

[PapoosesCPST]

How much do the kids weigh? How fast is the bike traveling? Multiply weight times speed to find the amount of crash force their little noggins would suffer during an accident. Accidents by defination are unplanned & not foreseen. Body armor is ridiculous, helmets are not. Helmets prevent brain damage. They either wear it before an accident or they face the likelihood of having to wear a specialized helmet for the rest of their disabled lives. Yes, I'm a Child Passenger Safety Technician.

[xzaz2]

And you get paid by the car industry? Why do people in the car don't wear helmets? They go faster then these kids.

[PapoosesCPST]

No, I'm certified by SafeKids Worldwide with NHTSA curriculum. Google. The car frame + airbags = "helmet". 50 pound child unrestrained in a car in 30MPH crash suffers ~150 pounds of force when the body flys into the vehicle interrior, including other passengers.

[xzaz2]

People dont die outside the car they die inside the car. All i'm saying there is no way in this situation where you need to wear helmets. In my country there is almost no one that wears helmets. Its just not necessary if you improve the safty of the ride it self.

[cyclenut]

Here in the FAT USA I see kids riding in cars going over 60mph with no helmets. I think rolling on the ground vers hitting the dash board at ten times the speed to be a tad bit different.... You see, the kids on a bike would have to be traveling toward the ground to hit it like a windshield.

[jeffgrave]

very cute-but I was freaking out about the children being thrown out if you lost control! YIKES!

[SimonComfort]

Kinda sweet!

[PiliaeAl]

were laughing...hahahah go dad!

[bakfietsen]

What a lovely moment! And nice riding while filming, too. Thanks.

[s0methingrare]

Superman on the bike! That's pretty cute actually.