Sledding is usually regarded as the easiest type of winter fun: a hill, a sled and a fast ride down to the bottom and up to the top. However, a series of fatal accidents has brought into the limelight of a totally different iteration of the practice which involves vehicles pulling sleds and boards, with speed increasing and control declining.
In Arkansas, a teenager that was 17 years-old died after hitting a tree during being dragged on a sled with an ATV. Two 16-year-old girls died in Texas when their sled, which was attached to a Jeep Wrangler, hit a tree. In Virginia, a 11 year old was said to have been dispatch in an accident involving sledding.
These instances are coupled with a larger fact concerning injury associated with sledding: collisions frequently occur when a rider smashes into some objective or loses balance, and injury of the head and neck is a special problem in small children.
1. Being towed by a vehicle turns sledding into something else
The classic sledding is dependent on gravity and a stable slope. Towing contributes engine-driven speed, increased distances and a moving driver variable which the riders have no control over. Objects stretched behind cars can be stopped with low power and the riders have few security features in case the route is stopped by a curb, parked vehicle, pole, fence, or tree.
Colorado police have termed this practice as an unlawful and risky practice in which individuals ride on a snowboard, skis or sled being pulled by a vehicle. It is often referred to as skitching and the risk profile is more akin to a road accident than a winter sport.
2. Trees and poles are the most unforgiving “hidden” hazards
The injuries sustained through Sledding are often hits with fixed objects. The point of impact on the Arkansas and Texas deaths was a tree, a lesson that a well-known hill in the neighborhood can turn into a serious hazard when it is not evident where the runout has happened. The sledding route should be safe, and this requires both the area to ride, and the area to stop. A long, flat runout area is important as it decreases the possibility of a sled going through the obstacles once momentum builds.
3. Head protection is not optional for high-speed downhill play
Helmets are a viable shield to severe head trauma, particularly when sleds are speeding on packed snow or ice. Helmets that are mostly used in winter play are the snow-sport helmets, multi-sport helmets, or bicycle helmets.
In younger children, head and neck injuries are a significant issue, so the use and monitoring of the helmets are of particular importance in case the hill is congested, icy, or new.
4. Control features on sleds can reduce common crash scenarios
Most injuries are caused when a rider loses control, spins or slides sideways in to the hazards. Steerable sleds that have a braking mechanism are more controllable than flat sheets, snow discs or inner tubes which are more difficult to control and stop.
Structural condition is an issue even when better equipment is used. The cracks, sharp edges or wear parts may add to falls, cuts, and loss of handling when control was most required.
5. Supervision, seating position, and passenger limits change outcomes
Presence of adults assists in controlling traffic on the hill, spacing between the riders and the decision of when the conditions are too fast, or the conditions are too congested. A rider will tend to be safer in the face-forward position with feet downhill, which braces and minimizes the risk of head-first contacts. The number of passengers is also important. When a sled is overloaded, it will lead to unpredictability in steering, increased stopping distance and increased chances of falling off when taking a bump or an off turn.
The deaths on the weekend were the manifestation of a simple pattern, as the higher the speed, the more the fixed objects fill the stopping zone, the less space to work. A less risky sledding day is dependent on manageable speed, a well defined run out, protective clothing and non-towing or adjacent hill to street winter play and traffic hazards.
