Tricycle Injuries Send Thousands of Tykes to ERs Each Year

CHICAGO (AP) — A new study in the journal Pediatrics cautions parents about the dangers of tricycles for kids. The research finds that tricycles send thousands of kids to emergency rooms each year and are even linked to a handful of deaths.

More than 9,000 tricycle-related injuries were treated in U.S. emergency rooms in 2012 and 2013, according to the study by researchers at Medical College of Georgia and Emory University. Two-year-olds were most frequently injured, and injuries were slightly more common in boys.

Less than 3 percent of the children had to be hospitalized, but those youngsters had serious injuries including limb amputations, fractures and internal organ damage. The American Academy of Pediatrics says most children don't have the balance or coordination until around age 3. Tricycles that are low to the ground, with big wheels, are safest, and helmets should be worn.