Recreation
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ATV ACCIDENTS
 An increasing number of children are being injured in accidents involving all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), open air vehicles with three, four or six wheels designed for off road use. Many states require ATV insurance for vehicles operated on state-owned land.
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ATV-RELATED DEATHS AND INJURIES, 2002-2006 (1)

 |  Estimated number of deaths |  Estimated number of injuries (2) |
 Year |  All ages |  Younger than 16 years |  Younger than 16 years percent of total |  All ages |  Younger than 16 years |  Younger than 16 years percent of total |
| 2002 | 548 | 133 | 24% | 113,900 | 37,100 | 33% |
| 2003 | 654 | 154 | 24 | 125,500 | 38,600 | 31 |
| 2004 | 745 | 181 | 24 | 136,100 | 44,700 | 33 |
| 2005 | 666 | 145 | 22 | 136,700 | 40,400 | 30 |
| 2006 | 555 | 111 | 20 | 146,600 | 39,300 | 27 |
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(1) ATVs with 3, 4 or unknown number of wheels. (2) Emergency room-treated.
Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. |
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RECREATIONAL BOATING ACCIDENTS
 Federal law requires owners of recreational boats to register them. In 2006 there were 12.7 million registered boats, compared with 12.3 million in 1997 and 8.6 million in 1980. An accident occurring on a recreational boat must be reported to the Coast Guard if a person dies or is injured and requires medical treatment beyond first aid, if damage to the boat or other property exceeds $2,000, if the boat is lost or if a person disappears from the boat. Out of the 4,967 accidents reported in 2006, 633 occurred in Florida, accounting for 13 percent of all incidents. Other states with high numbers of accidents were California (569), Arizona (209) and Texas (195).
Boating fatalities rose 1.9 percent from 2005 to 2006. The rate per 100,000 registered boats was 5.6, compared with 5.4 in 2005. Research has shown that alcohol, combined with typical boating conditions such as sun, wind, noise, vibration and motion, can impair a person much faster than alcohol consumption on land. Boat operators with a blood-alcohol content (BAC) above 0.10 percent are estimated to be more than 10 times as likely to be killed in a boating accident than boat operators with zero BAC.
Deaths resulting from recreational boating accidents fell in 2007, according to figures from the United States Coast Guard. The count dropped from 710 in 2006 to 688 in 2007, the lowest figure since 2004 and third lowest since the Coast Guard began collecting statistics specifically related to recreational boating. While fatalities decreased, other measures - including injuries, number of accidents, and property damage - rose significantly. Injuries rose from 3,474 in 2006 to 3,686 in 2007. Reported recreational boating accidents, which reached 4,967 in 2006, climbed to 5,223. Property damage, which was a record $43,670,424 in 2006 rose further to $53,288,858 last year.
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RECREATIONAL BOATING ACCIDENTS, 2003-2007 (1)

 |  Accidents |  Fatalities |  |  |
 Year |  Total |  Involving alcohol use (2) |  Total |  Involving alcohol use (2) |  Injuries |  Property damage ($ millions) |
| 2003 | 5,438 | 362 | 703 | 129 | 3,888 | $40 |
| 2004 | 4,904 | 331 | 676 | 124 | 3,363 | 35 |
| 2005 | 4,969 | 402 | 697 | 157 | 3,451 | 39 |
| 2006 | 4,967 | 403 | 710 | 148 | 3,474 | 44 |
| 2007 | 5,191 | 391 | 685 | 145 | 3,673 | 53 |
(1) Includes accidents involving $2,000 or more in property damage. (2) The use of alcohol by a boat's occupants was a direct or indirect cause of the accident.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Coast Guard. |
| - Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents, accounting for 21 percent of all reported fatalities in 2007.
- Over two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drowned. Ninety percent of the victims who drowned were not wearing life jackets.
- The most common types of boats involved in reported accidents were open motorboats (44 percent), personal watercraft (24 percent) and cabin motorboats (15 percent).
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TOP TEN STATES BY RECREATIONAL BOATING ACCIDENTS, 2007

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PEDALCYCLISTS KILLED AND FATALITY RATES, 2006

 Age (years) |  Killed |  Population (thousands) |  Fatality rate per million population |
| Under 5 | 3 | 20,418 | 0.15 |
| 5-9 | 42 | 19,710 | 2.13 |
| 10-15 | 64 | 24,955 | 2.56 |
| 16-20 | 56 | 21,189 | 2.64 |
| 21-24 | 33 | 16,918 | 1.95 |
| 25-34 | 93 | 40,416 | 2.30 |
| 35-44 | 119 | 43,667 | 2.73 |
| 45-54 | 161 | 43,278 | 3.72 |
| 55-64 | 102 | 31,587 | 3.23 |
| 65-74 | 51 | 18,917 | 2.70 |
| 75-84 | 31 | 13,047 | 2.38 |
| 85+ | 9 | 5,297 | 1.70 |
| Total (1) | 771 | 299,398 | 2.58 |
(1) Includes pedalcyclists of unknown age.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Bureau of the Census. |
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PEDALCYCLISTS INJURED AND INJURY RATES, 2006

 Age (years) |  Injured |  Population (thousands) |  Injury rate per million population |
| Under 5 | (1) | 20,418 | 3.68 |
| 5-9 | 3,000 | 19,710 | 147.90 |
| 10-15 | 9,000 | 24,955 | 370.20 |
| 16-20 | 6,000 | 21,189 | 296.70 |
| 21-24 | 3,000 | 16,918 | 204.00 |
| 25-34 | 5,000 | 40,416 | 136.00 |
| 35-44 | 6,000 | 43,667 | 128.60 |
| 45-54 | 6,000 | 43,278 | 133.40 |
| 55-64 | 4,000 | 31,587 | 123.90 |
| 65-74 | 1,000 | 18,917 | 52.98 |
| 74-84 | (1) | 13,047 | 18.72 |
| 85+ | (1) | (1) | (2) |
| Total (3) | 44,000 | 299,398 | 147.00 |
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(1) Less than 500 injured. (2) Less than 0.5 per million population. (3) Includes pedalcyclists of unknown age.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Bureau of the Census. |
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MOTORCYCLIST FATALITIES AND FATALITY RATES, 1996-2006

 Year |  Fatalities |  Registered motorcycles |  Fatality rate per 100,000 registered vehicles |  Vehicle miles traveled (millions) |  Fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled |
| 1996 | 2,161 | 3,871,599 | 55.82 | 9,920 | 21.78 |
| 1997 | 2,116 | 3,826,373 | 55.30 | 10,081 | 20.99 |
| 1998 | 2,294 | 3,879,450 | 59.13 | 10,283 | 22.31 |
| 1999 | 2,483 | 4,152,433 | 59.80 | 10,584 | 23.46 |
| 2000 | 2,897 | 4,346,068 | 66.66 | 10,469 | 27.67 |
| 2001 | 3,197 | 4,903,056 | 65.20 | 9,639 | 33.17 |
| 2002 | 3,270 | 5,004,156 | 65.35 | 9,552 | 34.23 |
| 2003 | 3,714 | 5,370,035 | 68.16 | 9,577 | 38.78 |
| 2004 | 4,028 | 5,767,934 | 69.83 | 10,122 | 39.79 |
| 2005 | 4,576 | 6,227,146 | 73.48 | 10,454 | 43.77 |
| 2006 | 4,810 | 6,686,147 | 71.94 | 12,401 | 38.79 |
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Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Federal Highway Administration. |
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MOTORCYCLIST INJURIES AND INJURY RATES, 1996-2006



 Year |  Injuries |  Registered motorcycles |  Injury rate per 100,000 registered vehicles |  Vehicle miles traveled (millions) |  Injury rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled |
| 1996 | 55,000 | 3,871,599 | 1,428 | 9,920 | 557 |
| 1997 | 53,000 | 3,826,373 | 1,374 | 10,081 | 522 |
| 1998 | 49,000 | 3,879,450 | 1,262 | 10,283 | 476 |
| 1999 | 50,000 | 4,152,433 | 1,204 | 10,584 | 472 |
| 2000 | 58,000 | 4,346,068 | 1,328 | 10,469 | 551 |
| 2001 | 60,000 | 4,903,056 | 1,229 | 9,639 | 625 |
| 2002 | 65,000 | 5,004,156 | 1,293 | 9,552 | 677 |
| 2003 | 67,000 | 5,370,035 | 1,250 | 9,577 | 701 |
| 2004 | 76,000 | 5,767,934 | 1,324 | 10,122 | 755 |
| 2005 | 87,000 | 6,227,146 | 1,402 | 10,454 | 835 |
| 2006 | 88,000 | 6,686,147 | 1,311 | 12,401 | 707 |
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Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Federal Highway Administration. |
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SPORTS PARTICIPATION AND INJURIES, UNITED STATES, 2006

 |  |  |  Percent of injuries by age |
 Sport or activity |  Participants |  Injuries |  0-4 |  5-14 |  15-24 |  25-64 |  65 and over |
| Archery | 6,800,000 (1) | 3,180 | 0.0% | 11.9% | 26.6% | 54.2% | 7.3% |
| Baseball | 14,600,000 | 163,834 | 2.6 | 49.2 | 27.8 | 19.6 | 0.8 |
| Softball | 12,400,000 | 111,094 | 0.3 | 24.5 | 32.6 | 41.8 | 0.8 |
| Basketball | 26,700,000 | 529,837 | 0.3 | 33.5 | 47.0 | 19.0 | 0.2 |
| Bicycle riding (2) | 35,600,000 | 480,299 | 5.7 | 44.0 | 17.4 | 29.5 | 3.3 |
| Billiards, pool | 31,800,000 | 4,722 | 9.0 | 22.5 | 17.0 | 48.3 | 2.8 |
| Bowling | 44,800,000 | 18,553 | 9.8 | 15.3 | 14.0 | 51.6 | 9.3 |
| Boxing | NA | 13,118 | 0.0 | 11.8 | 51.0 | 37.2 | 0.0 |
| Cheerleading | 3,800,000 | 25,966 | 0.1 | 45.0 | 52.7 | 2.3 | 0.0 |
| Exercise | NA | 197,406 (3) | 3.4 | 16.3 | 20.6 | 49.9 | 9.9 |
| Fishing | 40,600,000 | 73,206 | 2.8 | 18.5 | 13.3 | 56.5 | 8.9 |
| Football | 17,800,000 (4), (5) | 460,210 | 0.2 | 47.8 | 41.9 | 10.1 | 0.1 |
| Golf | 24,400,000 | 37,891 (6) | 4.1 | 23.0 | 9.3 | 42.0 | 21.6 |
| Gymnastics | NA | 30,523 (7) | 4.1 | 67.6 | 22.0 | 6.2 | 0.0 |
| Hockey: street, roller and field | NA | 6,500 (8) | 0.0 | 28.1 | 62.0 | 9.9 | 0.0 |
| Horseback riding | NA | 70,915 | 1.4 | 21.7 | 20.5 | 52.2 | 4.2 |
| Horseshoe pitching | NA | 1,542 | 6.0 | 32.1 | 10.1 | 47.2 | 4.6 |
| Ice hockey | 2,600,000 | 21,825 | 0.3 | 37.5 | 48.8 | 13.4 | 0.0 |
| Ice skating | NA | 22,025 (9) | 0.9 | 48.3 | 21.5 | 28.1 | 1.2 |
| Martial arts | 4,700,000 (4) | 24,835 | 0.8 | 27.2 | 29.6 | 42.4 | 0.0 |
| Mountain biking | 8,500,000 | 10,135 | 0.9 | 8.9 | 25.9 | 63.0 | 1.4 |
| Mountain climbing | NA | 3,875 | 1.5 | 9.0 | 43.4 | 43.7 | 1.9 |
| Racquetball, squash and paddleball | NA | 6,702 | 0.2 | 4.6 | 18.7 | 69.5 | 6.7 |
| Roller skating | NA | 69,989 (10) | 0.6 | 59.0 | 13.3 | 26.4 | 0.7 |
| Rugby | NA | 10,589 | 0.0 | 4.1 | 77.2 | 18.8 | 0.0 |
| Scuba diving | NA | 1,963 | 0.0 | 4.1 | 6.9 | 89.0 | 0.0 |
| Skateboarding | 9,700,000 | 125,713 | 1.2 | 50.6 | 38.8 | 9.0 | 0.3 |
| Snowboarding | 5,200,000 | 50,660 | 0.0 | 28.2 | 54.6 | 17.0 | 0.1 |
| Snowmobiling | NA | 7,293 | 0.0 | 8.7 | 38.2 | 49.2 | 3.9 |
| Soccer | 14,000,000 | 186,544 | 0.6 | 43.5 | 37.3 | 18.4 | 0.2 |
| Swimming | 56,500,000 | 178,412 (11) | 10.3 | 41.3 | 18.3 | 27.3 | 2.8 |
| Tennis | 10,400,000 | 22,425 | 0.6 | 15.4 | 22.1 | 48.1 | 13.8 |
| Track and field | NA | 20,459 | 0.3 | 44.7 | 50.5 | 4.2 | 0.3 |
| Volleyball | 11,100,000 | 57,387 | 0.1 | 28.0 | 41.9 | 28.9 | 1.0 |
| Water skiing | 6,300,000 | 9,928 | 0.1 | 8.4 | 39.2 | 52.3 | 0.0 |
| Weight lifting | 32,900,000 | 73,425 | 3.1 | 9.0 | 39.1 | 46.8 | 1.9 |
| Wrestling | NA | 36,943 | 0.0 | 35.2 | 59.6 | 5.0 | 0.2 |
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(1) Data for 2005. (2) Excludes mountain biking. (3) Includes exercise equipment (407,708 injuries) and exercise activity (149,698 injuries). (4) Data for 2004. (5) Includes 9,600,000 in touch football and 8,200,000 in tackle football. (6) Excludes golf carts (13,411 injuries). (7) Excludes trampolines (109,522 injuries). (8) Includes field hockey (5,238 injuries) and roller hockey (1,262 injuries). Excludes 29,597 injuries in hockey, unspecified. (9) Excludes 11,394 injuries in skating, unspecified. (10) Includes roller skating (42,305 injuries) and in line skating (27,684 injuries). (11) Includes injuries associated with swimming, swimming pools, pool slides, diving or diving boards and swimming pool equipment.
NA=Data not available.
Source: National Safety Council. |
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