HB 2228
Oregon House Bill 2228 was introduced by State Representative Mitch Greenlick on January 11, 2011. The bill would prohibit children under the age of 6 from riding in trailers behind bikes or from being otherwise carried on a bicycle. Citing an OHSU study that found 5% of bike commuters in 2007 experienced an injury biking that required medical attention, Greenlick stated, "If I thought a law would save one child's life, I would step in and do it. Wouldn't you?" However, the biking community has resoundingly denounced the bill, countering that there was no evidence linking bike trailers to child deaths, and that discouraging family biking would reduce the "safety in numbers" principle, wherein the safety of biking is directly proportional to the number of bicyclists on the road.