Ropes, jump ropes, and leashes, either attached to equipment or being worn around a child's neck, have also been implicated in strangulation deaths. Similarly, free hanging ropes are also a cause of playground fatalities. The other major cause of strangulation is head entrapment. Children under the age of six suffer approximately 37 percent of all public playground equipment-related injuries, children between the ages of six and eight are involved in another 40 percent, and children over the age of eight are involved in another 23 percent. The frequency of injury to children under the age of six has doubled since 1980.
Slides are the most frequent cause of injury for children under the age of six.
Although falls are the most common mode of injury for both younger and older children, younger children are more likely to sustain injuries to the head and face. When young children fall to the surface from play equipment, they are more susceptible to head injuries since they often do not have the motor coordination or cognitive skills necessary to protect their heads by breaking a fall with their arms. In addition, young children are at greater risk for head and facial injuries caused by impact with moving equipment such as swings. Climbers are the most frequent cause of injury for children six and older. Upper limb fracture is the predominant pattern of injury for older children on climbers, swings, and slides.