Bicycle/In-Line Skating/Skateboarding Safety - Injury Statistics and Incidence Rates
 The following statistics are the latest available from the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP):
Injury and death rates:
- A total of 173 children ages 14 and under died in bicycle-related crashes in 1999.
- Since 1992, at least 39 children ages 14 and under have died in in-line skating crashes - the majority of the crashes were collisions with motor vehicles.
- More than 373,000 children ages 14 and under were treated for bicycle-related injuries at hospital emergency rooms in 2000.
- Nearly 58,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for in-line skating-related injuries, and nearly 27,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated for roller-skating-related injuries in 2000.
- Nearly 50,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated for skateboarding-related injuries in hospital emergency rooms in 2000.
- Head injuries are the most common and severe form of injury, accounting for more than 60 percent of bicycle-related deaths, more than two-thirds of bicycle-related hospital admissions, and about one-third of hospital emergency room visits for bicycling injuries.
- Motor vehicles are involved in the majority (more than 80 percent) of bicycle-related fatal crashes.
Where and when:
- Fatal bicycle-related crashes involving children tend to occur at non-intersection locations (66 percent).
- Most child bicycle crashes occur between May and August and between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
- The majority of child bicycle-related fatalities occur on minor roads, typically within one mile of the child's home.
- Children ages 4 and younger are at higher risk of becoming injured around the home, such as in the yard, garage, or on the driveway.
- When children ages 14 and under ride their bicycles during non-daylight hours, they are four times more likely to be injured.
- The majority of bicycle-related fatal crashes (80 percent) among children ages 14 and under occur because of the bicyclist's behavior, such as riding into the street without stopping, swerving into traffic, running stop signs, or riding against the flow of traffic.
Who:
- The majority of children (70 percent) between the ages of 5 and 14 years ride bicycles - that is 27.7 million children.
- Children ages 14 and under are five times more likely to sustain injuries in a bicycle-related crash than any other age group.
- Children make up 21 percent of all bicycle-related deaths and over 54 percent of bicycle-related injuries.
- Any child who rides without a bicycle helmet increases his/her risk of sustaining a head injury in a crash, and increases the risk of being involved in a fatal crash by 14 times.
- Children under age 10 are at higher risk of serious injury, including head injuries.
- Boys account for the majority of bicycle-related deaths (79 percent) and injuries (71 percent).
Helmets:
- No more than 25 percent of child bicyclists use bicycle helmets, although statistics show the helmet can drastically reduce the risk of death and injury and the severity of injury. Bicycle helmets should also be used when riding scooters.
- Bicycle helmets can reduce the risk of a head injury by 85 percent and brain injury by 88 percent.
- Children between the ages of 11 and 14 reportedly are least likely to use a bicycle helmet (11 percent).
- Children whose helmets fit poorly are twice as likely to sustain a head injury in a bicycle crash than children whose helmets fit properly.
- Children who wear their helmets tipped back on their head have a 52 percent greater chance of a head injury than children who wear their helmets properly centered on top of their head.
- The majority of fatal bicycle crashes involving children (75 percent) could have been prevented with bicycle helmets.
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