[Skateboards: a dangerous toy? (author's transl)].

Eighteen persons (average age 12.4 years) with injuries from skateboard accidents were admitted between 1 March to 5 June, 1977--4.4% of all accidents and 7.5% of all sports accidents treated during this interval. These kinds of accidents are now in fourth place as to frequency, after accidents during play (81), bicycling (45), football (35) and motorcycling (28). To avoid skateboard accidents attention must be paid to technically high-grade equipment, reasonable skill and training, and restriction of skateboarding to enclosed areas, as well as protective clothing.