Safety and Injury Prevention

Bicycle/In-Line Skating/Skateboarding Safety

More than 70 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 14 ride bicycles. In-line skating and skateboarding are also very popular among this age group. Although a great form of exercise, riding a bike, in-line skating, or skateboarding without protective gear can be dangerous. Next to motor vehicle-related injuries, bicycles injure more children than any other consumer product, according to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.

The most common and often most serious injury sustained with a bike, on in-line skates, scooters, or while skateboarding, is a head injury. Head injuries are the leading cause of death and disability in these types of crashes. Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of death or injury and reduce the severity of the injury in the event of a crash. However, even with aggressive bicycle helmet programs and laws, no more than 41 percent of children riding bicycles reportedly wear helmets.

Wearing a helmet whenever riding a bicycle, in-line skates, or a skateboard should be an automatic habit. Helmets should fit properly on your child's head and also be fastened correctly. A properly-fastened and fitting helmet does not move around on the head.

Teaching your children bicycle, in-line skating, and skateboarding safety could save lives. Listed in the directory below is additional information related to bicycle, in-line skating, and skateboarding safety.

If you cannot find the information in which you are interested, please visit the Safety and Injury Prevention Online Resources page in this Web site for an Internet/World Wide Web address that may contain additional information on that topic.

Injury Statistics and Incidence Rates

Identifying High-Risk Situations

Prevention