Kids riding in the TC?

languiduck wrote:
Sorry, That is not my intent to troll or flame. Maybe I did not use my words wisely. As people age, it seems that the things or activities they once engaged in are no longer a good idea. Sometimes this is wisdom and sometimes maybe it is being over protective.

If I'm still being offensive I have no issue with you editing that out. I want to have a good discussion.

Thanks for understanding. I suspected it was simply a matter of word choice. All is well.

I tend to think you are correct with the thought of "As people age, it seems that the things or activities they once engaged in are no longer a good idea. Sometimes this is wisdom and sometimes maybe it is being over protective."

Wayne
Moderator

We did all that when we were kids and had a blast. My sister-inlaw was so over protective of her kids and grand kids they really missed out on a lot.
At what point are we taking experiences away from our kids?

Sorry, That is not my intent to troll or flame. Maybe I did not use my words wisely. As people age, it seems that the things or activities they once engaged in are no longer a good idea. Sometimes this is wisdom and sometimes maybe it is being over protective.

If I'm still being offensive I have no issue with you editing that out. I want to have a good discussion.

languiduck wrote:
... Most of what is being said is hypocritical here. And I think that must come with being of a senior age for the most part. I get that is probably a broad brush stroke, but I bet it is true. ...

This is right on the edge of flaming or being a troll.

Wayne
Moderator

I did think and made my decision. Most of what is being said is hypocritical here. And I think that must come with being of a senior age for the most part. I get that is probably a broad brush stroke, but I bet it is true.

Vehicles perform better these days. Brakes are better, tires are better, suspensions are better, restraints are better, roadways are better, and airbags exist. The reduction in injuries and deaths are not simply because of seatbelts. That is not the issue here.

The issue asked is riding in the TC. No one can say there are less or more TC crashes these days than 30-40 years ago. But I bet there are less, and I bet that anyone inside a TC has less of a chance of being in a crash than 30 years ago.

I also bet that there is a greater chance of being struck by lightning or winning the lottery big time. We will enjoy our lives the way we wish, I appreciate that most don't see it my way and that is fine. As long as our way is fine too.

languiduck wrote:
All you folks who said you used to do it as a kid, and had a blast and fond memories, but now you wouldn't let your kids or grandkids do it....I don't understand. You got a chance to live life and make memories but you are ok with denying someone else that opportunity. You can't shield children from life and everything else. There's a line between reckless and risk. I don't think this crossess that line.
Recently I took my family to Boone, NC and we climbed up Grandfather Mountain. It was a treacherous climb, very dangerous with no safety equipment. One slip and it would be very bad. Why would I not let a teenager do this?

Times have changed. We've seen things. We know what can happen. We don't want to see it happen to our kids.

Could you live with yourself if God forbid something happened, and you didn't do EVERYTHING you possibly could to keep your kids safe given the circumstances? There are any number of circumstances where, "If only the kids had been in the cab with us..." could be the outcome.

Climbing that treacherous mountain, I presume this is not your family's first climb so you have some skill and experience as a whole. You started with an easy climb and challenged yourselves with progressively more challenging climbs, building up skills and experience until you felt you were ready for this challenge.

Please tell me what kind of skills you can develop, what kind of experience you can gain, to help you survive a crash inside a TC. There is nothing you can hold on to, no maneuver you can perform, no position you can take, that will make a difference.

I'm not saying do or don't. I am saying THINK and make your own decision.

On the other hand, when my nieces and nephews are here at my home in the mountains, or when I take them camping and drive around the campground, they DO ride up top looking out the windows, but I'm only going 5-15mph with no traffic. I read on here some folks doing 75mph with their 4,000-5,000lb campers. I never did more than 55 in the 80s. In addition, there is also a LOT more traffic on the roads nowadays pretty much ALL going 70-80mph and people don't leave much room for quick maneuvers. I don't see it as protecting kids from everything as much as I see it nowadays as common sense. Situations have changed. There are plenty of other things in the world for a child to enjoy. Of course this is just my own opinion.. yours may vary. :)

Dak

Remembering back to the good old days of bouncing around the truck bed without seat belts, etc, is great and all, but traffic fatalities per person or even per mile driven are somewhere around a third of where they were in the 60s and 70s.

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_U.S._by_year

So there is an upside to ruining childhoods by making them sit down and buckle up.

We used to ride in the back as kids. Kinda scary to think about now. It was a home built camper and we would be all lined up in front of the front window. I think the only thing holding that window in was some putty and a few finish nails. Sure couldn't imagine letting my kid ride back there.

I had some of my best sleeps going down the road though.

Is that feelings and perception or do have some factual data to back that up? Why do you think that crash is less likely to happen on the way to the park?