In one case, a child had leg fractures when his leg and foot were caught between the cart frame and a tree. In another, the driver ran into the rear of a parked truck. Another plunged off an embankment onto concrete. Another child's finger was nearly severed when the go-cart flipped and his hand was caught under the cart and wheel.
Five of those injured weren't driving the go-cart, but were seated on the driver's lap or standing on the frame and ejected. "Even in cases where there is an older driver, younger children are being injured when they are riding in someone's lap or standing on the vehicle," said Cline.
He said the vehicles pose a variety of dangers, such as exposed gas tanks, machinery and engines and no protection for the head, arms and legs.
"With the exception of seat belts, none of the safety features that are built into cars are included on go-karts," Cline said.
It could not be determined whether four of the patients were wearing helmets. Ten of the remaining 14 patients (71 percent) were not wearing helmets.
Cline said children should not be allowed to operate the carts without adult supervision.
"Children lack the maturity to safely operate these vehicles without supervision," he said. "The dangers are magnified when no adult is present."
In addition, Cline said children should be at least 12 years old and weigh more than 80 pounds to operate go-carts and that in some cases even higher standards are advised.
"We don't have enough data to say who is truly safe," he said.
In addition to Cline and Relyea-Chew, other researchers were Marta Heilburn, M.D., with Wake Forest Baptist and Felix Chew, M.D., now wit
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Contact: Karen Richardson
krchrdsn@wfubmc.edu
336-716-4453
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
30-Nov-2005