Welcome to CPSC’s podcast for Friday, May 2nd, 2008. I’m Patty Davis.

Spring marks the annual kickoff for children’s outdoor sports. As snow boots are being stored away and bikes, inline skates and scooters are brought out, CPSC teamed up with the Chicago White Sox recently to urge kids to put on their helmets and safety gear. Joining me to talk about children’s sports safety is CPSC’s Julie Vallese.

[Patty]: Julie, how common are sports-activity type injuries to kids?

[Julie]: Well new information, some data from CPSC staff puts it into perspective. In 2006, more than ½ million kids younger than 15 were injured in various different sports, about 10 different outdoor activities. Kids in the age range of 10 to 14 have the highest rate of sports-related injuries.

[Patty]: In what type of sports activities do you see the most injuries and deaths for children? Julie: Bicycling by far has the most injuries followed by football, baseball and skateboarding. When it comes to deaths, ATV riding tops the list followed by bicycling.

[Patty]: What is the answer to turning those numbers around?

[Julie]: There is a real simple solution. Helmets and safety gear. Wearing your helmet while bicycling can reduce your chance of a head injury by 85 percent. That is a percentage that every parent should know. Wearing safety gear, your elbow pads, your knee pads, your wrist guards, can go a real long way in reducing injuries.

[Patty]: CPSC teamed up with the Chicago White Sox recently to get this message out. It sounds like fun.

[Julie]: What a great opportunity for the CPSC. We had two professionals, the Chicago White Sox catchers, were both out there sharing that they’d never go out to play baseball in a professional sporting activity without wearing their safety gear. And it really translated to the 5th graders that were at the event that it’s just really simple, wear your gear. And the baseball players really gave it the cool factor. That it’s definitely cool to go out there with your helmet on.

[Patty]: Thanks Julie. You can find out more about sports safety for kids as well as information about recalls announced by CPSC at our Web site www.cpsc.gov. While you’re there, sign up to receive CPSC’s recall announcements directly to your email inbox.

That’s it for this week’s CPSC podcast. Thanks for listening.

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