Injuries from zip lines have increased over the years as this activity, which involves attaching oneself to a pulley and sliding along a cable at high speed, becomes more popular. However, a new report published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine reveals that at least 17,000 accidents and injuries were treated in emergency rooms since 1997.
Forty-five per cent of the injuries were children between ages 0 - 9 years old and were common among women, Time reports. Only injuries were included in the study and it does not include deaths associated with the activity.
According to Mail Online, some of the injuries were linked to improperly-installed DIY (do-it-yourself) kits sold online. Thus, the researchers found out that the overall injury rate increased from 8 in 1 million people in the United States in 2009 to around 12 per 1 million in 2012.
To land to their findings, the researchers collected and analyzed data from the national injury database operated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Fox News reported. The study covered zip lines since its early years until it became popular and accounted to more than 200 units in the country.
Most of the accidents included falls, collisions and slamming into objects. Falls accounted to 77% of overall injuries from zip lines. Injuries included fractures and the most commonly injured part was upper extremities.
"The rapid increase in zip line-related injuries in recent years suggests the need for additional safety guidelines and regulations," the researchers concluded as reported by Time.
"Commercial zip lines and publicly accessible non-commercial zip lines should be subject to uniform safety standards in all states and jurisdictions across the US, and homemade zip lines should not be used," they added.