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Skateboard Safety: Establish an Understanding to Avoid Injuries

If your child is learning skateboarding, or even if he is already very good at it, here are several safety points you should consider.

Encourage your Children to Skate Safely:

Approaches to skateboarding safety need to be appropriate for the age of the child. Children should not ride on the side walk or in the  street until they demonstrate a good understanding of and an ability to skate safely and with in their present abilities.

Common Sense Approach to Skateboarding  Safety:

1. Always wear a Helmet.

2. Always Wear Knee Pads and Elbow Pads.

3. Always Wear Protective Shoes (no bare feet or sandals).

Use Common Sense when Skateboarding.

• Skate on the sidewalk and not in the street. Skate at a skate park for maximum safety.

• Always obey the posted skate park rules.

• Never assume that the driver of a car sees you.

• Get off your skateboard to cross streets safely.

• Practice and perform tricks at the skate park and not in the streets (only 5% of all skateboarding accidents happen in skateparks).

• Avoid skateboarding at night unless at a well lite skate park.

Younger children generally have not yet acquired the skills to skateboard. You should be aware of your child’s skill levels and observe them regularly to see how they are doing so as to avoid them injuring themselves.

Skateboarding is quite a safe activity, in fact rated safer than say, basketball. Most skateboarding injuries occur with newbies 10 to 14 years of age first times out (broken wrist or ankles) yet can be avoided with supervision and a  little common sense .

Check to see if your child watches for potential  obstacles such as rocks, tree limbs or cars exiting driveways or alleys. Always make sure they wear their safety gear (with the priority being their helmet!).

Skateboarding  safe doesn’t mean you can’t get rad, or try out new and more difficult tricks. Any good sports person try’s to know his or her limitations and break them, but  goes about it strategically  so as to avoid injury.

Use Common Sense…Skate Safe and Skate On!