Pediatricians Want To Restrict the Use of Skateboards and Scooters

April 18, 2002 Should there be a minimum age requirement to ride skateboards and scooters? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) thinks so! In a policy statement released in March 2002, the AAP reported the following statistics: In 1996, 5.8 million people under the age of 18 years rode skateboards; 750,000 of these people rode skateboards weekly. In 1999, approximately 51,000 people younger than 20 years old were injured riding skateboards. In 1997, 1,500 children were hospitalized for injuries they received while riding skateboards; most of these injuries were to the head. Head and face injuries account for 29% of the injuries that occur to people who ride scooters. The AAP has issued the following set of recommendations to help parents decide who should ride and how skateboards and scooters should be used: Children younger than 5 years should not use skateboards. Children younger than 10 years should not use skateboards without close supervision by an adult. Children younger than 8 years should not use scooters without close supervision by an adult. Skateboards and scooters should not be used in or near traffic. When riding a skateboard, don't hold on to the side of a moving vehicle. When riding a skateboard or scooter, wear protective equipment including a helmet, wrist guards, elbow pads and knee pads. Communities should build skateboard parks.

References: Skateboard and scooter injuries, Pediatrics, 109:542-543, 2002. Foot-powered Scooter Injuries On the Rise