Approximately 5 percent are head injuries. Safety gear has been shown to be highly effective in preventing injuries among skaters. Pads can reduce wrist and elbow injuries by about 85 percent and knee injuries by 32 percent. Although studies have not determined the degree to which helmets reduce head injuries among skaters, helmets have been shown to be highly protective among bicyclists. Despite the proven safety benefits and relative low cost of helmets and pads, many skaters don't wear them.
Teens are least likely to wear all the safety gear.
Nine out of ten beginning skaters wear all the safety gear, but studies have shown that many skaters shed the helmet and pads as they gain experience. Injuries from in-line skating. Accessed July 8, 1999. American Academy of Pediatrics. In-line skating injuries in children and adolescents.