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Facts + Statistics: Sports injuries

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Sports injuries

According to the (NSC), in 2023 exercise equipment accounted for an estimated 482,886 injuries, the most in any sports and recreation category.

Sports Injuries By Number Of Injuries, 2023

Ìý

Ìý Ìý Number of injuries by ageÌý
Sport, activity or equipment Injuries (1) Younger than 5 5 to 14 15 to 24 25 to 64 65 and older
Exercise, exercise equipment 482,886 7,750 40,592 95,671 247,518 91,354
Bicycles and accessories 405,688 13,312 92,776 54,207 195,805 49,588
Basketball 332,391 1,573 114,123 149,816 64,915 1,964
ATV's, mopeds, minibikes, etc. 269,657 3,827 44,487 76,485 131,303 13,555
Football 263,585 560 140,877 101,796 19,605 746
Skateboards, scooters, hoverboards 221,313 6,528 60,376 58,480 88,507 7,422
Soccer 212,423 2,069 101,072 75,978 32,140 1,164
Playground equipment 190,942 49,233 125,692 5,373 9,019 1,624
Swimming, pools, equipment 166,011 20,254 66,420 24,348 42,791 12,198
Baseball, softball 139,940 2,399 59,255 42,973 31,789 3,524
Trampolines 111,212 25,516 67,926 8,682 8,683 404
Lacrosse, rugby, misc. ball games 72,096 528 17,948 18,321 19,526 15,773
Skating (excl. In-line) 69,833 682 27,552 12,834 26,674 2,091
Golf 67,488 1,701 8,117 7,422 23,239 27,009
Volleyball 54,904 41 19,952 25,160 8,645 1,106
Fishing 54,230 1,212 11,019 7,091 27,420 7,488
Hockey 40,948 130 12,456 17,274 10,395 694
Martial arts 31,423 48 8,600 8,605 13,760 411
Racquet sports 22,769 88 2,900 4,318 7,515 7,949
Beach, picnic, camping equipment 22,637 2,595 3,593 1,938 10,119 4,392
Boxing 21,806 55 2,387 10,389 8,645 331
Water skiing, tubing, surfing 18,165 144 2,269 5,174 9,727 851

(1) Treated in hospital emergency departments.

Source: National Safety Council analysis of U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission NEISS data. National Safety Council. Injury Facts®.

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Bicycle crashes

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), 1,166 pedalcyclists were killed in 2023, a 2.9 percent increase from 2022. Starting in 2022, pedalcyclists include people on motorized bicycles. In 34 percent of all fatal crashes with pedal cyclists in 2023, alcohol was involved—either via the motor vehicle driver or the cyclist. That same year, 81 percent of fatal pedalcyclist crashes happened in urban areas.

Total Motor Vehicle And Pedalcyclist Fatalities, 2014-2023 (1)

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Y±ð²¹°ù Total Pedalcyclist Pedalcyclists as a
percent of
total fatalities
2014 32,744 729 2.2%
2015 35,484 829 2.3
2016 37,806 853 2.3
2017 37,473 806 2.2
2018 36,835 871 2.4
2019 36,355 859 2.4
2020 39,007 948 2.4
2021 43,230 976 2.3
2022 (2) 42,721 1,117 2.6
2023 40,901 1,166 2.9

(1) Pedalcyclists are defined by the National Highway Safety Administration as bicyclists and other cyclists including riders of two-wheeled, nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles and unicycles.
(2) Starting in 2022, pedalcyclists include people on motorized bicycles.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Pedalcyclists Killed And Fatality Rates By Age, 2023 (1)

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Age group Killed Population Fatality rate per
100,000 population
Under 5 4 18,511,160 0.02
5 to 9 4 20,152,757 0.02
10 to 14 33 20,834,564 0.16
Children (14 and under) 41 59,498,481 0.07
15 to 20 64 26,419,372 0.24
21 to 24 29 17,467,280 0.17
25 to 29 48 22,018,360 0.22
30 to 34 82 23,524,156 0.35
35 to 39 100 22,506,644 0.44
40 to 44 109 21,884,049 0.50
45 to 49 95 19,817,010 0.48
50 to 54 96 20,676,771 0.46
55 to 59 134 20,606,257 0.65
60-64 127 21,248,154 0.60
65-69 105 19,150,728 0.55
70 to 74 53 15,534,556 0.34
75 to 79 36 11,387,417 0.32
80 and over 29 13,175,660 0.22
Seniors (65 and over) 223 59,248,361 0.38
Total (2) 1,166 334,914,895 0.35

(1) Pedalcyclists are defined by the National Highway Safety Administration as bicyclists and other cyclists including riders of two-wheeled, nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles and unicycles. Starting in 2022, pedalcyclists include people on motorized bicycles.
(2) Includes pedalcyclists of unknown age.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Fatalities, Pedalcyclist Fatalities, And Fatality Rates By State, 2023 (1)

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Ìý Ìý Pedalcyclists
State Resident population
(000)		 Total traffic
fatalities		 Fatalities Percent of total
traffic fatalities		 Fatalities
100,000 population
Alabama 5,108 974 10 1.0% 0.20
Alaska 733 60 0 (2) (3)
Arizona 7,431 1,304 43 3.3 0.58
Arkansas 3,068 596 11 1.8 0.36
California 38,965 4,061 145 3.6 0.37
Colorado 5,878 720 20 2.8 0.34
Connecticut 3,617 308 4 1.3 0.11
Delaware 1,032 135 5 3.7 0.48
District of Columbia 679 44 3 6.8 0.44
Florida 22,611 3,396 234 6.9 1.03
Georgia 11,029 1,615 24 1.5 0.22
Hawaii 1,435 93 8 8.6 0.56
Idaho 1,965 275 7 2.5 0.36
Illinois 12,550 1,241 41 3.3 0.33
Indiana 6,862 898 31 3.5 0.45
Iowa 3,207 377 5 1.3 0.16
Kansas 2,941 387 6 1.6 0.20
Kentucky 4,526 814 16 2.0 0.35
Louisiana 4,574 811 35 4.3 0.77
Maine 1,396 135 0 (2) (3)
Maryland 6,180 621 15 2.4 0.24
Massachusetts 7,001 343 9 2.6 0.13
Michigan 10,037 1,094 24 2.2 0.24
Minnesota 5,738 409 6 1.5 0.10
Mississippi 2,940 732 13 1.8 0.44
Missouri 6,196 991 10 1.0 0.16
Montana 1,133 208 2 1.0 0.18
Nebraska 1,978 227 6 2.6 0.30
Nevada 3,194 389 14 3.6 0.44
New Hampshire 1,402 130 1 0.8 0.07
New Jersey 9,291 606 27 4.5 0.29
New Mexico 2,114 437 12 2.7 0.57
New York 19,571 1,114 49 4.4 0.25
New Carolina 10,835 1,561 46 2.9 0.42
New Dakota 784 106 0 (2) (3)
Ohio 11,786 1,242 22 1.8 0.19
Oklahoma 4,054 718 15 2.1 0.37
Oregon 4,233 587 17 2.9 0.40
Pennsylvania 12,962 1,211 29 2.4 0.22
Rhode Island 1,096 71 2 2.8 0.18
South Carolina 5,374 1,047 25 2.4 0.47
South Dakota 919 140 0 (2) (3)
Tennessee 7,126 1,323 11 0.8 0.15
Texas 30,503 4,291 106 2.5 0.35
Utah 3,418 280 9 3.2 0.26
Vermont 647 69 1 1.4 0.15
Virginia 8,716 913 15 1.6 0.17
Washington 7,813 810 18 2.2 0.23
West Virginia 1,770 260 4 1.5 0.23
Wisconsin 5,911 583 8 1.4 0.14
Wyoming 584 144 2 1.4 0.34
U.S. Total 334,915 40,901 1,166 2.9% 0.35

(1) Bicyclists are defined by the National Highway Safety Administration as pedalcyclists, which are bicyclists and other cyclists including riders of two-wheeled, nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles and unicycles. Starting in 2022, pedalcyclists include people on motorized bicycles.
(2) Less than 0.01 percent.
(3) Less than 0.01 per 100,000 population.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Total Traffic Fatalities And Pedalcyclist Traffic Fatalities And Fatality Rates By City, 2023 (1)

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Ìý Ìý Ìý Pedalcyclists Fatality rate per 100,000 populationÌý
City (2) Resident
population		 Total traffic
fatalities		 Fatalities As a percent
of total
traffic fatalities		 Total Pedalcyclist Pedalcyclist
rank (3)
New York, NY 8,258,035 204 22 10.8% 2.47 0.27 23
Los Angeles, CA 3,820,914 329 10 3.0 8.61 0.26 24
Chicago, IL 2,664,452 167 7 4.2 6.27 0.26 24
Houston, TX 2,314,157 296 16 5.4 12.79 0.69 4
Phoenix, AZ 1,650,070 308 7 2.3 18.67 0.42 16
Philadelphia, PA 1,550,542 135 9 6.7 8.71 0.58 9
San Antonio, TX 1,495,295 178 8 4.5 11.90 0.54 10
San Diego, CA 1,388,320 94 2 2.1 6.77 0.14 33
Dallas, TX 1,302,868 207 5 2.4 15.89 0.38 17
Jacksonville, FL 985,843 164 6 3.7 16.64 0.61 7
Austin, TX 979,882 94 5 5.3 9.59 0.51 13
Fort Worth, TX 978,468 118 0 (4) 12.06 (5) 37
San Jose, CA 969,655 61 2 3.3 6.29 0.21 26
Columbus, OH 913,175 98 3 3.1 10.73 0.33 18
Charlotte, NC 911,311 89 1 1.1 9.77 0.11 36
Indianapolis, IN 879,293 120 6 5.0 13.65 0.68 5
San Francisco, CA 808,988 34 1 2.9 4.20 0.12 35
Seattle, WA 755,078 35 1 2.9 4.64 0.13 34
Denver, CO 716,577 76 2 2.6 10.61 0.28 21
Oklahoma City, OK 702,767 101 2 2.0 14.37 0.28 21
Nashville, TN 687,788 110 1 0.9 15.99 0.15 30
Washington, DC 678,972 44 3 6.8 6.48 0.44 15
El Paso, TX 678,958 84 0 (4) 12.37 (5) 37
Las Vegas, NV 660,929 42 1 2.4 6.35 0.15 30
Boston, MA 653,833 18 1 5.6 2.75 0.15 30
Detroit, MI 633,218 131 3 2.3 20.69 0.47 14
Portland, OR 630,498 69 2 2.9 10.94 0.32 19
Louisville, KY 622,981 118 4 3.4 18.94 0.64 6
Memphis, TN 618,639 244 2 0.8 39.44 0.32 19
Baltimore, MD 565,239 46 1 2.2 8.14 0.18 28
Milwaukee, WI 561,385 79 3 3.8 14.07 0.53 12
Albuquerque, NM 560,274 109 3 2.8 19.45 0.54 10
Tucson, AZ 547,239 147 8 5.4 26.86 1.46 2
Fresno, CA 545,716 52 1 1.9 9.53 0.18 28
Sacramento, CA 526,384 69 8 11.6 13.11 1.52 1
Mesa, AZ 511,648 69 7 10.1 13.49 1.37 3
Atlanta, GA 510,823 84 1 1.2 16.44 0.20 27
Kansas City, MO 510,704 98 3 3.1 19.19 0.59 8

(1) Ranked by city population. Pedalcyclists are defined by the National Highway Safety Administration as bicyclists and other cyclists including riders of two-wheeled, nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles and unicycles. Starting in 2022, pedalcyclists include people on motorized bicycles.
(2) Population of 500,000 or more.
(3) Cities with the same pedalcyclist fatality rate per million population receive the same rank.
(4) Less than 0.01 percent.
(5) Less than 0.01 per 100,000 population.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Watercraft accidents

In 2023, the number of recreational watercraft accidents and fatalities decreased from 2022. Florida, California, and Texas remain the top three states for recreational watercraft accidents and deaths, according to the .

Recreational Watercraft Accidents, 2019-2023 (1)

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Ìý Accidents Fatalities Ìý Ìý
Year Total Involving
alcohol
use (2)		 Total Involving
alcohol
use (2)		 Injuries Property
damage
($ millions)
2019 4,168 330 613 128 2,559 $55
2020 5,265 353 767 130 3,191 63
2021 4,439 330 658 110 2,641 68
2022 4,040 270 636 108 2,222 63
2023 3,844 262 564 97 2,126 63

(1) Includes accidents involving $2,000 or more in property damage. Includes U.S. territories and offshore accidents.
(2) The use of alcohol by a boat's occupants was a direct or indirect cause of the accident.

Source: U.S. Department Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard.

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OHV accidents

Children under the age of 16 accounted for 27 percent of all people injured in accidents involving off-highway vehicles (OHVs) in 2022, according to the .

Off-Highway Vehicles (OHV) - Related Deaths and Injuries, 2018-2022 (1)

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Ìý Estimated number of deaths Estimated number of injuries (2)
Ìý Ìý Younger than 16 Ìý Younger than 16
Year Total Number Percent
of total		 Total Number Percent
of total
2018 714 71 10% 95,000 24,900 26%
2019 744 94 13 96,000 25,800 27
2020 990 123 12 112,300 30,500 27
2021 NA NA NA 106,600 30,500 29
2022 NA NA NA 94,700 25,600 27

(1) Off-Highway Vehicles (OHV) including All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV); Recreational Off-Highway Vehicles (ROV); and Utility-Terrain Vehicles (UTV)
(2) Emergency room-treated.

NA=Data not available.

Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

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