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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. Although a great form of exercise, riding a bike, in-line skating, or skateboarding without protective gear can be dangerous. Next to motor vehicle-related injuries, bicycles injure more children than any other consumer product, according to the National Safe Kids Campaign.
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 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 on your child's head and also be fastened correctly. A properly-fastened and fitting helmet does not move around on the head.
Teaching your children bicycle, in-line skating, and skateboarding safety could save lives. 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 Safety and Injury Prevention Related Web sites page for a list of Web sites that may contain additional information on that topic.
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