Tricycle Injuries Sends Thousands of Kids to the Emergency Room Every Year
Tricycles though seemingly harmless, is responsible for sending thousands of kids to the emergency room ever year. This highlights the need for even tricycle riders to be equipped with proper protection such as helmets and elbow pads.
According to CNN, authors of a new study that was published in the journal Pediatrics, claims that nearly 9,340 cases of tricycle-related accidents sent children to emergency rooms in the year 2012 and 2013. The study closely examined data collected from around 100 emergency rooms in the US for the National electronic Injury Surveillance System during the said period.
According to CBC News, based on the study conducted, the findings revealed that the head is the most frequently injured part of the body and lacerations to the skin (cuts and gashes) were the most frequent type of injury. While less than 3% of the children had to be admitted to hospitals, there were several accounts of children sustaining serious injuries such as fractures, limb amputations and internal organ damage. The study also revealed that boys were more prone to accidents than girls, with nearly 2/3rds accounting for the accidents. Further, one year olds and two year olds constituted nearly 52% of the total children who encountered tricycle-related injuries. The American Academy of Pediatrics, which published the journal, claim that most children don't attain the right balance or co-ordination to ride a tricycle until they reach the age of three.
"This study highlights the importance of helmet and elbow pad use and parental supervision," Dr. Stephen Pitts of Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga., and his co-authors said in Monday's issue of the journal Pediatrics.
