A study by Michigan Medicine has found that 70% of parents let their children go sledding without a helmet. Researchers found that parents weren’t as likely to emphasize safety with sledding compared to other sports despite the dangers of going downhill.
The National Poll on Children’s Health conducted by the Mott’s Children Hospital, University of Michigan, indicated that about 75% of parents don’t make their children put on helmets when snowboarding or skiing.
Sledding injuries were common during the winter
The team gathered 1992 parents across the U.S in October 2021. They ensured that each parent had a minimum of one child from 3 to 18.
According to Sarah Clark, a co-director at Mott Poll, skiing and sledding are fun activities for families during winter. However, as with many sports, the risk of injury is present. For this reason, parents need to reduce the risk for injury by implementing preventative measures.
About 3 in 4 parents believe their children will come into contact with snow during the winter. This includes visiting areas with snow or living in regions that have snow. Moreover, sledding is one of the most popular outdoor snow activities for children.
While most parents don’t believe sledding is dangerous, reports indicate otherwise. Researchers point out that the activity has resulted in many injuries. For instance, 220,488 patients from 2008 to 2017 visited the emergency room due to injuries from sledding. Nearly 70% of them hadn’t reached 19. However, most parents are unaware of these statistics, and 1 in 6 never discuss sledding rules with their children.
Parents should teach their children to be safe during sledding
Clark explains that many parents ignore safety concerns regarding sledding because it is prevalent. Researchers advise that parents teach their children safety measures to avoid sledding injuries. For example, they could teach them to avoid collisions. They could also ensure the sledding areas do not have trees and obstacles. These areas should also have a flat runoff area at the base of the hill.
The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents to put their children in helmets during sledding as head injuries can be common.
