Originally Posted by
Iride01
Basing something on what we use to do back in the day seems almost just as much uninformed speculation too.
Use to not wear helmets while riding a bike till I was in my 50's. When young we use to ride with no seatbelts in cars. As a teen we'd strap in to a parachute and go para-sailing on land behind a car. Did all sorts of stuff we got away with. Doesn't mean it's entirely safe.
If you're going to claim it's dangerous, the burden of proof is on you. Statistically, my understanding is that the number of children injured in seats and trailers is too low for there to be any meaningful comparison of risk. In other words, it's really a competition between two safe methods of transporting children, not one where either is particularly dangerous.
The American Academy of Pediatrics prefers trailers but it doesn't look like that recommendation is really data driven.