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More than 70 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 14 ride bicycles. In-line skating and skateboarding are also very popular among this age group and adolescents. Although a great form of exercise, riding a bike, in-line skating, or skateboarding without protective gear can be dangerous.
The most common and often most serious injury sustained with a bike, on in-line skates, scooters, or while skateboarding, is a head injury. Head injuries are the leading cause of death and disability in these types of crashes. Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of death or injury and reduce the severity of the injury in the event of a crash. However, even with aggressive bicycle helmet programs and laws, no more than 25 percent of children and adolescents riding bicycles reportedly wear helmets.
Wearing a helmet whenever riding a bicycle, in-line skates, or a skateboard should be an automatic habit. Helmets should fit properly and also be fastened correctly. A properly-fastened and fitting helmet does not move around on the head.
Listed in the directory below is additional information related to bicycle, in-line skating, and skateboarding safety. If you cannot find the information in which you are interested, please visit the Adolescent Medicine Online Resources page in this Web site for an Internet/World Wide Web address that may contain additional information on that topic.
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