Kids on the Razors Edge Risk Life & Limb on Scooters

Remember the hula hoop the 1950s fad that threw more than a few backs out of kilter? But watch out Queens! The foot-powered razor roller scooter craze is in full throttle sending youngsters hurtling toward the emergency room.
"These kids are trying to navigate without helmets, knee or elbow pads," claimed Dr. Jeffrey Horwitz, director of the emergency room at North Shore University Hospital in Forest Hills. "They are putting themselves at risk for serious injuries."
Horwitz said Internet chat rooms for doctors around the country are filled with talk about scooters careening down the street.
"We have only seen some bruises and scrapes so far," he said.
The scooter controversy flared on Monday when police reported that six-year-old Andy Tino of Elizabeth, N.J. died tragically when he was playing with his new scooter. The child crossed in the middle of the street and was hit by an auto driven just feet from his home. He died of head injuries. It is believed to be the first scooter fatality.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for City Council Speaker Peter Vallone, said the Council has been looking into the problem and said a bill will be introduced on September 27 requiring helmets for scooter users. The bill, triggered by the growing number of children treated in the Citys emergency rooms, will be considered by the Councils Health Committee chaired by Councilman Victor Robles.
One sporting goods chain, Modells, took a full-page ad in the Daily News shortly after the injury statistics came out. It urged riders to exercise caution while using scooters. They urged use of helmets and pads.
The news of legislative action was endorsed by Dr. Jeffrey Schor, director of the pediatric emergency room at New York Hospital Queens.
"We are seeing from five to ten scooter accidents a week, he said. "Luckily, we havent seen any serious injuries, just scrapes and bruises and fractures. But helmets are absolutely needed to protect against serious head injuries."
Schor said parents should see to it their children are protected with helmets, and knee and elbow pads. He said that skateboards represent a riskier problem.
"Kids should ride their scooters on the sidewalk, not the street," the pediatrician said. "It will help to eliminate hit-and-run accidents."
At Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Dr. Elliott Friedman, associate director of the emergency department, said that scooter injuries were first seen in his facility about two months ago and are escalating.
"Helmets are a must for kids using scooters," he said. "We see quite a few wrist fractures."
The reason for the ongoing discussions and a flood of medical articles on the new craze is a recent U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) report that emergency room-treated injuries related to the popular lightweight scooters have increased 700 percent since May. The CPSC data show that there were more than 4,000 scooter-related injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms in August alone. There have been more than 9,400 emergency room-treated injuries reported for 2000 so far. And 90 percent of the injuries were suffered by children under 15. One manufacturer, Razor USA, reports that 100,000 scooters a week have been turned out since June.
As fads go, scooters are the riskiest in years. They are more dangerous than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Cabbage Patch Dolls, Power Rangers and, of course, Pokemon.
Ann Brown, chair of the CPSC, said, "unfortunately many kids riding scooters are ending up in hospital emergency rooms instead of classrooms. Wearing safety gear can help avoid injuries."
Her agencys report found that arm and hand injuries represent 44 percent of the scooter-related injuries in 2000. Fractures and dislocations account for 2,740 or 29 percent of the injuries.
The CPSC said the new scooters support up to 350 pounds, weigh just six pounds and have 100 mm. Inline skate tires.
The scooters are costly not only in injuries, but price as well. The costs range between $80 and $120, but "high performance" models are priced even higher.
Take the Xootr created by Lunar Design, Palo Alto, California. Its Xootr Street Scooter sells at $389.95. It has a metal deck thats precision "machined from a solid block of 6061 T6 aluminum. It has ultra-low rolling resistance polyurethane tires which are molded to the wheel rims. This model weights 10.9 pounds."
According to the Directorate for Economic Analysis the industry expects sales of the new scooter of two to five million units this year. Its estimated as a $200 million business this year. It was virtually zero last year.