Unpowered scooter injuries reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission: 1995-2001

There has been a marked increase in the use of unpowered scooters over the past few years. Along with this, there has been an increase in injuries related to their use. The objective of this study was to review the unpowered scooter-related injury reports compiled by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and to describe the scope and type of injuries sustained. A consecutive case series of injuries sustained by individuals using unpowered scooters between January 1995 and June 2001 was compiled by the CPSC and was made available for review. Data collected included general demographics, date and type of injury, a brief description of the event, treatment, and outcomes. Data are reported using descriptive statistics. During the study period, 469 unique cases of unpowered scooter-related injuries were compiled by the CPSC and reviewed for the present analysis. The median age of those injured was 10 years (range, 1-70 y) with 63% male. Of those injured, 24 (5.1 %) required hospitalization. The most frequent injuries were lacerations (26%), fractures (22%), and contusions (16%). Of interest; 15 deaths were reported. A broad spectrum of injuries was reported to the CPSC related to the use of unpowered scooters. Although most injuries were relatively minor, there were 15 deaths reported. Although most injuries occurred in older children and young adolescents, the very young and adults were not immune from injuries. The risk of injury from unpowered scooters and the need for safety awareness should be stressed to all individuals including the very young and adults.