Background/methods

While usually thought of for recreation, skateboards can and are used for travel. Recreational skateboarding, an “extreme sport”, can carry a reputation for danger. What is the safety performance of skateboard travel? This study explores skateboard travel safety by (1) examining fatality and injury data, and (2) observing how skateboarders ride and how that could influence safety. Data on skateboarder injuries and fatalities are available for the United States from two national databases, news reports, and a skateboarding interest group. Observations of skateboard travelers and their travel behavior took place at the University of California, Davis, which has more than 1000 skateboard travelers. Observations include travel speed, conflicts with other users, and instances of potentially dangerous behavior.

Results

In California in 2012, 14 skateboarders or scooter riders were killed in collisions with automobiles; at least 10 of which occurred during travel. Utilizing mode share and trip length data from the California Household Survey, we estimate this corresponds to a fatality rate of approximately 20.9–23.0 deaths per 100 million miles traveled. Observed skateboarders travel between 6 and 14 miles per hour and 9.7  mph on average. This is very similar to bicyclists that were observed (6–19  mph range, 11.6  mph average). Additionally, observations show that skateboard travelers travel forward in straight lines and do not typically engage in aerial tricks or other unpredictable behavior.

Conclusions

Skateboard travelers, like pedestrians and bicyclists, are “vulnerable users” of the transportation system, with fatality rates per distance traveled several times greater than motor vehicle occupants, and with motor vehicle collisions a common factor. Behaviorally, skateboarders roll along at speeds slightly slower than bicyclists. Thus, skateboarding safety issues mirror bicycle safety issues, with some potential for skateboarder-pedestrian conflicts due to speed differentials, and skateboarder injury and fatality risk from exposure to motor vehicles.

Key words: Skateboarding, Skateboard travel, Non-motorized travel, Active travel, Injuries and fatalities, Operational characteristics