Skateboarding Safety Gear
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Skateboarding Safety Gear
Pat Hines (Traffic Safety Educator & Executive Director, SafeMoves) gives expert video advice on: How do I choose a safe skateboard helmet?; What protective gear should my child wear while skateboarding? and more...
What is the difference between a skateboard helmet and a bicycle helmet?
The difference between a skateboard helmet and a bicycle helmet is that a skateboard helmet will go further down the back of the head, covering a larger portion of the back of the head because that's where a lot of the crashes are going to happen and you want that protection back there. A bicycle helmet is a little lighter, and it focuses a lot of the emphasis of the helmet on the front part of the head. Again, a bicycle helmet is lighter, it's a little bit more comfortable to wear. The bicycle helmet is easily worn for both sports but if you had to buy one helmet, buy the multi-purpose skateboarding helmet because you can use that for riding your bicycle and for your skateboard, roller blades, and scooters.
What protective gear should my child wear while skateboarding?
There's other safety gear that your child can wear when they're skateboarding. The most important piece of skateboarding protective gear is a multi-purpose helmet. They can also wear wrist scarves, and knee pads as protective gear. Those pieces of protective gear are actually secondary to the helmet. But a child may feel better wearing knee pads, and shin pads, and also the wrist scarves. But also make sure your child is wearing good shoes when they skateboard. No sandals, make sure if their shoes have shoe laces, they are tied, make sure that their shoe has good gripping. Make sure that your child is not carrying anything sharp in their pockets while they are skateboarding, if they should fall off, a pencil or a pen or something sharp could end up stabbing them. So, wearing the right kind of clothes is a really good idea, but that helmet is really the most important piece of protective gear.
Tips & Comments
A skateboard helmet is definitely the most important piece of safety equpiment you need while riding. This article gives great information on other protective gear needed as well! http://www.shockgarden.com/activities-skateboard-helmets.html
In addition to shoes. When you are skateboarding there are some specific shoes that you should use, skateboarding shoes. What is different about these shoes compared to regular tennis shoes is they have a flat sole which is better for board feel. Some popular brands are: Vans, DC, Nike SB, and many others.