Child Safety: Recent Studies Raise Concerns About Children And Snowmobiles

Last week, I blogged about general safety concerns while snowmobiling. Recent deaths up north have raised the concerns of more people. A recent study looked closer at the concerns of young riders.

A study by the Mayo clinic found that when young adults are injured,Orthopedic injuries predominate and lead to long-term disabilities. Helmet use significantly reduces injuries; however, vulnerable younger patients do not frequently wear helmets. As a result, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Pediatric Society say that no one younger than 16 should be allowed to use a snowmobile.

In other states, the issue has been discussed, with New Hampshire requiring children older than 12 who don’t have a driver’s license to take a safety course and in Maine a child must be 10 or older to snowmobile on land other than that owned by a guardian or parent and a child must be at least 14 years old to operate a snowmobile across a public way.

There are many months of winter in front of us locally. Hopefully all snowmobiles will ride safety and where children are concerned, make sure that extra precautions are taken.

If you are in a snowmobile accident , it’s important that you get medical help right away. If you have questions, contact an experienced Personal Injury lawyer who has dealt with these type of cases. As always, make sure you talk to someone knowledgeable before you sign off on a claim or give away the rights of your children.