Avoid Scooter Injuries: Wear Safety Gear
Swarms of children on lightweight scooters appeared in suburban and city
neighborhoods in the US, Europe, Hong Kong, and Israel this year. Lots
of them appeared in hospital emergency rooms too.
In the US, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that
emergency room-treated injuries related to scooters increased 700% over
the summer. There were more than 4,000 scooter-related injuries treated
in hospital emergency rooms in August alone, and more than 9,400
emergency room-treated scooter injuries reported for so far this year.
Nearly 90% of the injuries are to children under 15 years of age.
CPSC recommends that riders, especially children, wear proper safety
gear including a helmet, and knee and elbow pads to help prevent
injuries. This is the same safety gear CPSC recommends for in-line
skating. Knee pads can help prevent knee injuries. CPSC estimates that
more than 60% of injuries could be prevented or reduced in severity if
protective gear had been worn.
The scooters, which first went on the market in the United States
last year, are new versions of the foot-propelled scooters first popular
in the 1950s. They are made of lightweight metal such as aluminum and
have small low-friction wheels similar to those on in-line skates. They
usually cost between $80 and $120 and typically weigh less than 10
pounds. They can be folded for easy portability. It is expected that
between 2 and 5 million scooters will be purchased this year.
Most injuries resulted when riders fell from the scooter. In all, 44%
of injuries were to hands and arms, 29% were injuries to the head and
face, and 22% of injuries affected the leg and foot. Fractures and
dislocations accounted for 29% of the injuries. Other categories include
lacerations: 28%, contusions or abrasions: 17% and strains or sprains:
15%.
The best investment against injury is protective gear which can cost
less than $35.
CPSC recommends the following safety guidelines:
- Wear a helmet that meets CPSC's standard, along with knee and
elbow pads.
- Ride the scooters on smooth, paved surfaces without any traffic.
Avoid riding on streets or other surfaces with water, sand, gravel
or dirt.
- Do not ride the scooter at night.
Information provided by
US Consumer Products Safety Commission
26 September 2000
Last updated 26 September 2000