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Summer Safety: Surprising Dangerous Summer Activities & Sports: New Study

Summer: those few cherished months when most flock to the outdoors to take advantage of the abundant sunshine. However, a recent report from Forbes cautions most outdoor summer activities can also lead to serious injuries. The article ranked the "Most Hazardous Summer Activities" proportional to the reported injuries in 2007.  A companion article entitled "Most Hazardous Sports" warns the consequences of many popular summer sports as well.

The results are not what you'd expect.  Shark attacks or jellyfish stings do not top the list. Instead, many everyday summer activities can cause more harm than most realize.

The most hazardous summer activities (from most dangerous to least) include:

• playground equipment
  
• skateboards
  
• trampolines
  
• lawn mowers
  
• amusement attractions
  
• non-powder guns
  
• beach activities
  
• picnic or camping equipment
  
• barbecue grills
• trimmers
• small garden power tools.

The most hazardous summer sports (from most to least):

• basketball
• bicycling
• football
• ATV or mini-bikes
• baseball or softball.

What can you do to stay safe? Recommendations include:

• wearing correct protective gear
• considering the age-appropriateness of your child's activities
• stretching before gardening
• using gardening tools that are easy to use
  
• practicing safe lighter fluid usage
  

For sports, Forbes cites the reason for more injuries is people pay less attention to safety standards outside of organized sports. Common sense ways to avoid sporting injuries include:

• parents monitoring their children
• wearing protective gear
• obeying traffic signals when biking or skateboarding
• avoiding sporting activites when tired
• staying active year-round
• balancing workouts to prevent overuse injuries
• warming up prior to outdoor exercise
  

We encourage our all of our readers to enjoy summer activities safely.

Full post as published by DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog on June 27, 2008 (boomark / email).