Babies on Bikes Without Helmets

Here in the U.S., taking our kids on a bike ride means helmets and restraints, while in Amsterdam, toddlers are cruising along bareheaded on Mom's handlebars.

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I just got back from a trip to Amsterdam, where I saw the most amazing thing. No, it wasn't the Rembrandt collection at the Rijksmuseum, or the sobering tour of Anne Frank's house, it was the sight of bareheaded children and even infants riding around on bikes with their parents. Not only were towheaded Dutch kids helmet-less, they often rode down the narrow canal streets precariously perched on the handlebars or the back fender of Mom or Dad's bike.

Here in the U.S., I know parents who wouldn't dare take their very young children on a bike even WITH a helmet. They're just too scared. It's true that riding in the States is way more dangerous than in Amsterdam, a city where bikes have the right-of-way ahead of cars, and there are 600,000 bikes for the 750,000 residents. But Amsterdam isn't devoid of cars, buses, and trams. Plus, it has the added danger of multitudes ofstoned tourists who've ordered a hash brownie -- just because they can't believe it's actually legal -- and wandered out into the streets.