According to an article in the October issue of Pediatrics, in 2012 “tricycle accidents were the most common cause of reported toy-related deaths in children” (i.e., five out of 11 toy-related deaths were trike-related.) From 2005-2009, trikes were the second most common cause of toy-related death in US children under age 15 (i.e., 17 out of 88 toy-related deaths were trike-related.)
Researchers also examined data associated with tricycle-related injuries treated in emergency departments (ED) in 2012 and 2013 and reported, among other things, that:
- there were approximately 9,340 trike related accidents treated in EDs during that time period;
- the average age of injury was three years old, though the most common age of injury was two years old;
- the most commonly (1) injured body region was the head, (2) fractured body part was the elbow, and (3) reported type of injury was laceration;
- Of those children treated at the ED for trike-related injuries, 2.4% were admitted to the hospital; and
- most trike-related injuries reportedly occurred at home.
To reduce the risk of injury researchers suggested that children should (1) wear elbow pads and helmets while riding trikes and (2) only ride trikes under adult supervision.
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