In the Past 5 Years, Child Safety Accidents Related to 'Kickboard' Increased 4.6 Times

Learning Roller Skating

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Korea Consumer Agency have reported that as outdoor activities for children increase in spring, safety accidents related to children's ride-on sports products such as kickboards (manual), bicycles, roller skates, inline skates, skateboards, and wheel shoes are also on the rise, urging special caution to prevent accidents.

According to the Korea Consumer Agency on the 21st, from 2015 to 2019, a total of 6,724 safety accidents involving children (aged 14 and under) related to ride-on sports products were reported to the Consumer Injury Surveillance System.

Analyzing 6,633 cases where the time of occurrence was confirmed, safety accidents occurred most frequently in May (14.5%, 964 cases) and June (15.3%, 1,012 cases). Among 6,720 cases where gender was identified, 71.1% (4,779 cases) involved boys, approximately 2.5 times higher than girls (1,941 cases).

The products most commonly involved in accidents were bicycles, kickboards, and roller skates. Among these, kickboard accidents sharply increased from 184 cases in 2015 to 852 cases in 2019. During the same period, roller skate accidents increased by 26.1%, while bicycle accidents decreased by 28.5%.

Additionally, kickboard accidents were more common among preschool children aged 4 to 6, while bicycle and roller skate accidents were more frequent among school-age children aged 7 to 14.

The most common injuries from these safety accidents were lacerations (tears) and fractures caused by slipping and falling. In particular, bicycle and kickboard accidents often resulted in skin lacerations on the head and face, whereas roller skate and skateboard accidents frequently caused bone fractures, highlighting the necessity of wearing safety equipment such as helmets and wrist and elbow guards to prevent injuries.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Korea Consumer Agency requested that children using these ride-on sports products and their guardians strictly follow safety rules, including ▲always wearing protective gear such as helmets ▲riding in safe open spaces or parks free from cars and motorcycles ▲walking down slopes instead of riding ▲not wearing earphones or other devices that block surrounding sounds while riding kickboards or bicycles.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.