Both anecdotally and statistically, one activity stands out as causing the highest frequency of serious injury and death to children under the age of fourteen: ATVs (All-Terrain Vehicles). As a parent, this is one activity I will do my best to steer my child away from.
There are many activities and sports which cause a far higher total number of injuries, but no other popular activity causes such a high percentage of hospitalizations and deaths. Typical scenarios involve the ATV overturning and pinning the child beneath it resulting in asphyxiation or a child being thrown from the vehicle and suffering a severe head injury.
The frequency of injury can be reduced with formal driver training, close supervision, use of helmets, not carrying passengers and smaller engine size (90cc). However, even with these precautions, ATVs are far from safe for children. Each year, more than 40,000 children are injured in ATV related accidents and more than 10,000 of these injuries result in hospitalization or death. Suffice it to say, I am not a fan of children riding ATVs and I encourage you to steer your child’s interests elsewhere.
Another activity I would encourage avoiding is that of playing on trampolines. The injury rate for children under the age of four is particularly high while the total number of injuries is similar to those involving ATVs. However, the percentage of hospitalizations and deaths associated with trampolines is significantly less than those associated with ATVs.
I recognize that ATVs and trampolines are very popular and that many families have wonderful and safe experiences with them. I am happy for them. However, if you have the opportunity to redirect your child’s activities elsewhere, I strongly encourage you to do so.
What about the more common sports activities such as soccer, baseball, football, skating, bicycle riding and skate boarding? The safety priority in all of these activities is to prevent head injury as that is the most potentially devastating and life altering possibility. Proper instruction and, most importantly, proper use of helmets are the best means to ensure our children’s safety when engaging in these activities.
By no means do I wish to discourage children from engaging in a variety of outdoor physical activities, I merely encourage you as a parent to be actively involved in what they are doing and how they are doing it so as to ensure your child will be as safe as possible.