ah, sheesh, it's the "cycling is incredibly dangerous" reflex kicking in. Isn't that annoying...

We got the same from my in-laws. We rode our bikes everywhere, they talked about it with awe and amazement. We had a baby, they helped us buy a trailer, we rode everywhere with him we could, on closed roads, quiet streets, bike paths and sidewalks. I overheard MIL "bragging" to some friends in a shocked tone about how we "took him in the trailer everywhere, right out on the motorway in all the traffic and cars!"

At the time I flipped and went all righteous and pontificating on her, but it's just that she had never had need to differentiate between the risk level on the motorway and on a quiet residential street because she drives her **** car everywhere.