Skaters – Five Times the Speed of Pedestrians
On a late summer day, the sun is shining with the wind gently blowing. Ideal circumstances for kids to scoot across the asphalt on inline skates. However, caution is required: Skaters easily pick up tempo – sometimes they move at a speed of up to 25km/h. That is the speed of a bicycle, and thus 5 times the speed of a pedestrian. Accidents happen due to high speed and the difficult technique of braking with kids running into something or falling. Also, third parties are involved in many of the accidents – they often happen on the road with potential serious injuries to the head.
How to Reduce the Risk of Injury to Children
According to statistics from the statutory accident insurance companies regarding the number of students involved in accidents in the year 2000, records show about 600 accidents with children on inline skates on their way to school. Speed determines the severity of an accident: the higher the speed, the higher the impact in case of a collision and the higher the risk of injury and thus the severity of the injury. Inline skaters reach an extremely high speed without much effort, e.g. a child skating at 20 km/h hitting a street light causes a collision of 20 times the severity compared to a pedestrian hitting a street light. Protect your child from accidents with the help of appropriate protective gear (e.g. wrist guards, elbow and knee pads, helmet) and by having sufficient practice.
Practice Prevents Severe Accidents
Inline skating requires practice. Inline skating is not like roller-skating. Since the wheels of an inline skate are aligned, it is harder to keep your balance. Hence, your child has to practice moving forwards, sideways, around corners, avoiding obstacles and – most importantly – braking and falling properly. Children, who do not have the appropriate routine, risk having severe accidents. More information on the relevant techniques of inline skating can be found in the brochure “Skate & Roll” of the Deutsche Verkehrswacht e.V. (German Society for Traffic Safety) (free download from the internet.)
Where can my child practice?
The best places to practice are school yards and areas and spaces without regular or very little traffic. Spielstrassen, roads that only allow very slow traffic, or empty parking lots are also good practice locations. Watch out for slopes, bumps, gravel, manhole covers and similar obstacles.
According to Traffic Law, Inline Skaters are Considered Pedestrians
Once your child has reached a certain level of expertise, he or she can start covering more ground. However, consider the following: According to paragraph 24 of the Strassenverkehrsordnung (German Traffic Laws) inline skaters are considered pedestrians, hence they skate where people walk: on sidewalks and footways at adequate speed (walking speed, approx. 4-7 km/h). You are also allowed to skate in pedestrian areas and through low speed zones, as long as you do not jeopardize others. Roads and bike lanes are off limit, even for children with experience. Alert your kids to driveways as they are faster on skates then pedestrians and thus easily overlooked by cars. Make your child aware of parked cars whose drivers suddenly open their doors or pedestrians who stop abruptly and change directions.
Protective Gear Consists of Helmet, Wrist Guards, Elbow and Knee Pads
Protective gear is an absolute must for inline skaters from the start, because even experienced skaters face the occasional fall. Beginners are even more at risk. Additionally, children are prone to accidents with other people involved. Because of the high number of injuries to the wrist, elbow and forearm, there is special gear for inline skaters to protect those areas of the body. Helmets, wrist guards, elbow and knee pads are the basics for all inline skaters. Special stores offer gear for children.
(Bildquelle: Deutsche Verkehrswacht e.V. (Hrsg.) (2002): Skate & Roll. Inline-Skaten – aber sicher, S.19/21)