A few days after the fatal ski accident of Gaspard Ulliel, during which the actor did not wear a helmet, several questions concerning safety on the slopes arose. A recent American survey revealed that the risks of sledding, practiced by many children, were underestimated by parents.
- 69% of parents say their kids don’t wear helmets when sledding.
- Between 2008 and 2017, 220,488 Americans visited the emergency room for sledding-related injuries. Nearly 70% of these patients were children under the age of 19.
“Should helmets be worn on the ski slopes?” This question has been coming back since January 19. This date marks the death of actor Gaspard Ulliel. The 30-year-old succumbed to a head trauma, which was caused by a collision with another skier. According to the Albertville prosecutor, the young man was not wearing a helmet during the accident. His death sparked an avalanche of questions about mountain safety.
2 in 3 parents say their kids don’t wear a helmet while sledding
Recently, a survey on the safety of children during activities in the mountains, carried out by the CS Mott Children’s Hospital of the University of Michigan (in the United States), showed that the dangers of certain winter sports, in particular sledding, were not always taken seriously by parents . And for good reason, only one parent in 3 said that their child wore a helmet when sledding (17% wear one all the time, 14% from time to time and 69% never).
“Most parents report that their children wore helmets while snowmobiling and downhill skiing. The proportion of parents who say their children wear helmets does not differ between younger and older children, regardless of either the activity”, can we read in the survey of 1,992 parents with a child aged 3 to 18 years.
The risks of sledding underestimated
According to the survey results, almost all parents, whose child participates in snowmobiling or downhill skiing, have spoken with their child about the safety rules for these activities. Parents are less likely to have talked about the safety rules for sledding. Respondents said their children were watched more when they were snowmobiling than when they were skiing. According to the survey, children are less supervised when sledding (30% all the time, 52% sometimes, 18% never).
“Because sledding is so common, parents can overlook important safety issues,” said Sarah Clark, who conducted the survey. “However, to avoid injury, parents should ensure that the tobogganing area is free of trees or other objects and that their children are doing this activity on a flat area. Parents should also ensure that children understand measures to avoid collisions with other people”she developed.
.
