="ericalmYou don't think that there are circumstances or life changes under which individuals might want to reassess their responsibilities and the risks that they choose to take?
I don't have kids but can't say that my attitudes about riding would be the same if I did. I just don't know. Yeah, riding is part of my lifestyle—an important part, obviously—but it's not my life. I think there are times when it's appropriate or necessary to change your lifestyle to suit changes in your life. Having kids, I assume, results in all sorts of lifestyle changes. Or should. I don't see why the possibility of such a change would mean someone shouldn't be scootering now.
A qualified, I agree. I do think it's a personal decision and can see somebody reassessing their decision to ride. Riding is always a personal decision that one has to make for his or her self. Riding while pregnant is certainly something to consider because the health and wellbeing of your baby is also at risk.
My point is, I've seen death up close and I know you can die young. I have seen and experienced what it does to loved ones when somebody dies (rather) suddenly and in the prime of their lives. I took all this into consideration when I began riding.
I would never do anything that I thought would be an undo risk and lead to serious injury or death. For me, whether it's children or siblings or spouses or parents or even close friends, family is family and I wouldn't want anyone to suffer from a decision I made. And at the end of the day, I'm selfish - I don't want to die or even spend some time in the hospital.
My first wife's death had a profound effect on me, which almost goes without saying. It taught me that you can go through life avoiding things that might cause you harm. But in the end you can't run away from that one thing that's going to get you and you certainly can't run away from death. It's better to enjoy life, not put up with the things in life you can't stand (job, that family member that sucks all the energy out of you, etc).
As for risk, for me, I draw the line somewhere between mountain climbing and jumping out of an airplane. Unless you are Army Airborne, I see no need to jump out of an airplane. Skydivers would tell me different. I can see the value of mountain climbing, but I'm not convinced it's a worthwhile pursuit given the risks involved.
I've always wanted to take up flying. I still think someday I will pull the trigger and go out and get my pilot's license. Over the year's it's been something I've dreamed and read and researched a lot. With flying, it's all about managing risks. Flying can be perfectly safe one minute, and unbelievably dangerous the next. You need to know the risk and have the ability (which is no small thing) to ground yourself when conditions are not right for flying.
I think with riding, you can manage the risks to make it nearly as safe as getting behind the wheel of your car. Sure, you can never overcome the fact that a bike doesn't have the protection of an automobile, but you can do the things that reduce risk or injury.
At the end of the day, the circumstances in one's life might change from time to time, but the risks of riding are always the same. It is my personal decision that there is a maximum amount of risk that I will accept regardless of the circumstances in my life. For me, that maximum risk level is at a level that I consider acceptable for whatever the circumstances in my life.
I must admit that I have tried to rationalize that it will be 'perfectly okay' to ride when you are pregnant, and there is no way I could stay off my scooter for that long. Surely it would be okay to just run to the store. . .or what about that back road to the town across the way?. . .or nice little neighborhoods would be okay. . .right??? *sigh* And then I think about that one time I might hit a slick spot, or run into some newly scattered gravel, or have soccer mom pull out from a side street in front of me, or meet the "texter" head-on. 
who are totally dependent on you and what happens if you get in an accident then?
A couple that belongs to the local scooter club have one and their two little kids LOVE riding in it.
Of course, I'd still take my wife of 28 years on a 100 mile trip, even today....wouldn't need such a big bike as the Gold Wing to move her mass now..... 
