How to make sure your Children stay safe on Wheels

Did you know that every hour a child goes to the emergency room with an injury relating to a bicycle, scooter, skates or skateboard?

Wheel sports are a great way for your children to get outside and get some exercise, however it can be dangerous when the right safety precautions are not taken.

Here are some fast facts about children and wheel sports…

   o   11% of emergency room visits are because of serious head injuries caused from wheel sports.

   o   19% of scooter injuries to children were because of head injury.

   o   The most frequent diagnosis in hospitals were fractures to the arms, shoulder, elbow, wrist or hand.

But why are these injuries happening?

Almost 50% of parents say that their young child aged between 5 and 14 years does not wear a safety helmet when they ride a bicycle, scooter, skates or a skateboard.

Reasons why parents say their child does not wear a helmet:

47% of parents think the area is safe and think their child is experienced enough not to have to wear a helmet.
27% say the helmet does not fit properly or comfortably.
24% say they won’t wear one because other children don’t wear one.
22% say helmets aren’t cool to wear.

Now that we know the stats about wheel sports and how dangerous they can really be, you need to know how to prevent injury, even if you child doesn’t think safety precautions are “cool”

  ü  A child should ALWAYS wear a helmet. It must be level on their head and fit snuggly.

  ü  The bicycle/scooter/skates/skateboard your child rides should be the right size.

  ü  The basics of bicycle/skate/scooter/skateboard riding need to be covered before they take to the streets and start riding.

  ü  They need to know how to obey traffic rule.

  ü  Never let your child wear headphones while riding.

  ü  Children should only ride in daylight hours with supervision at all times.

  ü  The right safety gear needs to be worn if they are riding skates, a skateboard or a scooter – elbow pads, kneepads, gloves, no-slip shoes, etc.

  ü  Always inspect your child’s bicycle, skateboard, skates or scooter for loose or broken parts on a regular basis.

Don’t ruin the fun for your child, just stay safe! These safety precautions are vital to know in order to keep your child safe when they go riding on their bikes, scooters, skates or skateboards.

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