Most injuries resulted when riders fell from the scooter. Fractures and dislocations accounted for 29 percent of the injuries. Most of the fractures and dislocations were to arms and hands. CPSC recommends that riders, especially children, wear proper safety gear including a helmet, wrist guards, and knee and elbow pads. This is the same safety gear CPSC recommends for in-line skating.
Wrist guards can reduce the risk of broken bones or dislocated joints.
Knee pads can help prevent knee injuries. CPSC estimates that more than 60 percent of injuries could be prevented or reduced in severity if riders used protective gear. Unfortunately, many kids are ending up in hospital emergency rooms instead of classrooms. Wearing safety gear can help prevent injuries. The scooters, which first went on the market in the United States last year, are new versions of the foot-propelled scooters first popular in the 1950s.