Skateboarding Safety Rules

Skateboarding is a popular street activity practiced, honed and showcased by many athletic young people. Tricks can be easy, hard, safe with enough practice, or dangerous even for skilled skateboarders. Avid skateboarders will eventually fall, scrape or bruise their body. They may even break bones, get concussions, and in the most serious cases, die from falls or vehicular accidents. Safety can come in the form of protective gear, tips and techniques, and common sense. For those learning to skateboard or honing their skills, reducing the risk of a serious injury should be a top priority.

Protective Gear

Perhaps the best thing for every skateboarder to have is a helmet. The head is very susceptible to serious injury, and a serious fall can knock an individual unconscious. Internal bleeding within the skull can be fatal. Having non-slip shoes can help keep skateboarders balanced and can reduce the frequency of falls. Knee and elbow pads reduce cuts and scrapes. Other padded equipment like pants, jackets and gloves all reduce the severity of a fall.

Techniques

When using a skateboard, inspect the board and wheels for wear and tear. Replacing parts reduces the chance of an accident because of equipment malfunction. Avoid riding in the street and do not use the skateboard for tricks in restricted areas, especially heavily populated zones. Follow traffic laws and be wary of motorists. Never try to skateboard or do tricks with two people on the same board. Practice tricks until they can be done with ease before moving onto a harder trick. Also, learning how to fall on grass can help reduce the shock of a real fall on concrete.

Falling

Although falling may seem counterproductive to learning how to skateboard, it is a skill essential to reduce the risk of injury. When you lose balance or know you will fall, try to hug the board or ground so the fall is closer to the ground. When hitting the ground, the fleshy parts of the body like the thighs, calves, arms, and stomach absorb most of the impact that would be taken by your bones. Rolling after a fall minimizes the surface area that skids or scrapes against your body.

Location

Most serious falls occur because of irregular surface areas where the skateboarder falls. Falling flat on the ground isn't as dangerous as falling onto a rail, down the steps, onto rocks, or even onto glass and other unnatural objects. Skate parks are available and are specially designed to allow skateboarders to practice different tricks in a much safer environment. Avoid makeshift equipment like homemade ramps, half pipes, pipes and other dangerous things that may seem feasible before it's even tested.

Ian Tilmann Foundation

The Ian Tilmann Foundation was started with the tragic death of Ian Tilmann, a 28-year-old former marine who died 10 days after a serious fall. He was a resident of Safety Harbor, Florida, and fell head first onto the ground on Hercules Avenue. Because a helmet could have saved his life, the Ian Tilmann Foundation pledges to give a helmet to all those who pledge to wear it at all times. Since 2005, the foundation has given away about 1,600 helmets.

References

• Nation Safety Council
• Consumer Product Safety Commission
• The Ian Tilmann Foundation