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Government Agency Reminds Summer is here and more and more scooters are racing down neighborhood sidewalks, veering in and around traffic. Scooters are a growing trend and they provide a great way to get exercise. However, they can also be danger ous if the proper safety gear -like a helmet, wrist guards and knee and elbow pads - is not worn when riding. Scooters are leading to more accidents and strains. This could be due to their lightweight design, which translates into faster riding speeds and high-impact collisions. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in the first 10 months of last year, about 27,600 people were treated in emergency rooms for scooter-related injuries. CPSC also reports that 85 percent of those injuries were to children younger than 15 with most serious injuries affecting the hands, wrists and elbows. There is no question that wearing safety gear - especially a helmet - reduces the chances of injury and helps to save lives. In fact, a report last summer in "The Future of Children," a Packard Foundation publication, noted that research has shown that bicycle helmets are 85 percent effective at reducing head injuries. Pediatric physical therapist Denise Blasi, PT, member of the New York Physical Therapy Association (NYPTA), is all too familiar with the consequences of not protecting the head. She says, "Helmets protect children’s brains from injuries that could result in concussions, fractured skulls or even death." The CPSC recommends that riding be done only during the day, and on paved, smooth surfaces without any traffic. Scooters have narrow wheels, similar to those on roller blades, and uneven surfaces, or those with gravel, sand or dirt, make the modern-day scooter difficult to control.
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