Modern Buddy

Well I just got back from Egypt and wanted to share this photo. Note that the Mother started to wave hello to me after taking the photo - that means one hand on the baby! Mind you this was in HEAVY traffic in a city that has no road rules.
Not sure what type of bike that is?

Well I've seen a number of pictures of families being trasported by a single scooter, but that is the first one I recall where one of them is sitting side saddle while holding an infant! I wonder what the accident rate is and the effect on insurance costs? Anyone know anything about those issues in more countries that are more scooter-prolific than the USA?

-jetboy

Wow..

jetboy wrote:Well I've seen a number of pictures of families being trasported by a single scooter, but that is the first one I recall where one of them is sitting side saddle while holding an infant! I wonder what the accident rate is and the effect on insurance costs? Anyone know anything about those issues in more countries that are more scooter-prolific than the USA?

-jetboy

Insurance? I doubt that insurance is something most people have on their scooters there. If a whole family is relying on one scooter, I'm guessing there isn't a lot of money there.

I can't find it now, but I just read a long article (maybe in the Guardian?) about a town in germany that repaved their whole town square as one big open area with no traffic lanes, sidewalks, signals, signs, etc. They reported it actually freed up traffic and people were more cautious and respectful when pedestrians, bicycles, scooters, and cars were all sharing space. Crazy, isn't it?

Yeah, I doubt insurance is a huge factor there, and I doubt the accident rate is much higher than it is here. People just adapt to the situation. People here would s••t a brick if they saw you riding around with a toddler here, even if the kid was wearing a helmet and secured somehow, but in Europe they sell kids' seats for scooters, and in most of the world, they ride 5-up with infants in the front basket, and no one bats an eye.

Bb.

well all of the civilized world has universal health care (oops except one) so insurance costs may not come into play. While certainly loading up a 2 wheeler is arguably unsafe in the acute sense, if everyone worldwide drove minivans and Suv's we would soon all be snuffed out. So I am not judging these folks, for sure. Little helmets would not hurt though!

jetboy wrote:Well I've seen a number of pictures of families being trasported by a single scooter, but that is the first one I recall where one of them is sitting side saddle while holding an infant! I wonder what the accident rate is and the effect on insurance costs? Anyone know anything about those issues in more countries that are more scooter-prolific than the USA?
-jetboy

I read somewhere that VietNam, which has absolutely inane traffic patterns with thousands of motorbikes and scooters cross-cutting all around each other without any seeming regard for the laws of nature, also has the highest rate of traffic fatalities per population, in the world...

thats just nutty. i spent some time in Cairo and Alexandria,... just crossing the street in Egypt can be a life or death matter.

I spent some time in Phoenix. It's the same...

--Keys

I saw this a lot when I was in China. I was able to get a picture of this one which cracks me up that only the rider is wearing a helmet. Well, if you can call it a helmet.