How To // Skateboarding Research

http://www.personal-injury-info.net/skateboard-injuries.htm
I got this from Personal injury info:

The National Safety Council recommends the use of protective gear, such as closed, slip-resistant shoes, helmets, and specially designed padding for elbows, knees and hands. This protective gear may not fully prevent injury but will lessen the severity of the skateboard injuries.

The National Safety Council offers the following skateboarding tips:

1. Give your board a safety check each time before you ride.
2. Always wear safety gear.
3. Never ride in the street.
4. Obey the city laws. Observe traffic and areas where you can and cannot skate.
5. Don't skate in crowds of non-skaters.
6. Only one person per skateboard.
7. Never hitch a ride from a car, bicycle, etc.
8. Don't take chances; complicated tricks require careful practice and a specially-designated area.
9. Learn to fall-practice falling on a soft surface or grass.

The Council recommends that children who ride skateboards learn how to fall. Teach your child that when they are starting to fall, crouch down on the skateboard so that they don't have as far to fall. Also, instruct them that when they fall, to try to roll and absorb the force of the fall by using their arms as shock absorbers. Since wrist injuries are the most common skateboard injuries, make sure your child is wearing protective wrist gear, especially when first learning. One-third of all skateboard injuries occur within the first week, so make sure your child is well-equipped and supervised especially during this time. Irregular and uneven surfaces account for one-half of all falls, so make sure your child is skateboarding on even surfaces only.

Not all skateboard injuries may be preventable, but most can be minimized by wearing protective gear and instilling in the child safe riding habits.