CPSC NEISS · code 3289

Darts, For Indoor Use (activity Or Equipment)

Darts, For Indoor Use (activity Or Equipment): danger rank #419 of 838 is not ER-volume rank #622 of 838 (444 estimated ER visits a year; rising by about 46% over the last five years).

Sports Protective Equipment & Gear CPSC NEISS through 2024

Danger score versus ER volume

Danger score versus ER volume

According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Darts, For Indoor Use (activity Or Equipment) ranks #419 of 838 by danger score (35/100) at ER-volume #622 of 838 (444/yr). They are not the same ranking.

#419
danger rank of 838
#622
ER-volume rank of 838
35/100
danger score
444/yr
estimated ER visits (avg)

Danger score combines injury volume, hospitalization, fatality, and five-year trend. ER volume is the average annual NEISS estimate alone. Rank 1 is highest on each list.

Where this category's danger score sits nationally

Danger score (35/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories

35 Lower than most lower than 50% of 838 product categories

scored CPSC product categories, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more product categories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source CPSC NEISS, PlainSafety danger-score model · 2024

Composite verdict

Composite Safety Score: 47/100

One verdict blending 4 independently-sourced dimensions from two separate CPSC systems, each benchmarked against all 838 scored product categories by percentile rather than raw value, so no single huge-volume category can dominate the scale.

C
Dimension Value National percentile Weight applied Source
Injury severity (hospitalization + fatality blend) 7 56th 35% CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index
Annual ER injury volume 444 25th 30% CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries
5-year injury trend +46% 92nd 15% CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries
Consumer incident reports 4 31st 20% CPSC SaferProducts.gov public incident report count

Methodology: each dimension is ranked against the full population's p10/p25/p50/p75/p90 breakpoints and interpolated to a 0-100 percentile; the composite is the weighted average of available percentiles. See methodology for the full benchmark table.

Where 8,883 estimated ER injuries land on the body

Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 3289. Segments sum to 8,883 - a body-map mix, not a danger score or ER-volume rank.

Two danger lenses

Same-group peer scores and this product's dial

The bars compare PlainSafety danger scores inside the Sports Protective Equipment & Gear group (same CPSC NEISS extract). The dial is this product's score alone on the Low/Moderate/High bands. Do not read a peer bar as an ER-visit count.

Sports Protective Equipment & Gear danger scores

1. All Terrain Vehicles (# O…54/1002. Mopeds Or Power-assisted …54/1003. Exercise (activity Or App…48/1004. Snow Skiing (activity, Ap…47/1005. All Terrain Vehicles (fou…46/1006. Exercise Equipment45/1007. Tennis (activity, Apparel…44/1008. Darts, For Indoor Use (ac…35/100
Higher score = higher composite danger in this group. Peer set is other scored products sharing the same CPSC group.
0/100100/10035/100
PlainSafety danger score · Darts, For Indoor Use (activity Or Equipment)

Source: CPSC NEISS danger-score model As of 2024

How this 35/100 score is built

The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for darts, for indoor use (activity or equipment) - no opinion, no editorializing:

  • Injury volume 444 ER visits/yr Low volume
  • Severity (hospitalization rate) 6.7% Above median admission rate
  • Fatality rate 0.00% No recorded fatalities
  • 5-year trend+46%

Band labels compare this category against the corpus of 838 scored CPSC product categories, see the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.

What the CPSC Data Shows

Across the 20-year NEISS window from 2005 to 2024, injury counts for darts, for indoor use (activity or equipment) are rising by about 46% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2012 (801 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (82 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is contusions, abr. to the eyeball, accounting for approximately 867 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by internal injury to the head (299 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 2,535 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 6.7% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.

Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 4 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how darts, for indoor use (activity or equipment) fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.

Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)

02004006008001K 20052008201120142017202020232024 681
Estimated annual emergency-room visits for Darts, For Indoor Use (activity Or Equipment), CPSC NEISS

Source: CPSC NEISS national injury estimates As of 2024

Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only

Who Gets Injured?

Age Group Male Female Total
0-4 313 304 617
5-14 1,200 413 1,613
15-24 1,879 656 2,535
25-34 971 483 1,454
35-44 402 343 745
45-54 529 445 974
55-64 258 232 490
65-74 260 77 337
75+ 55 55 110

Most Common Injuries

Body Part Diagnosis Est. Injuries
Eyeball Contusions, Abr. 867
Head Internal Injury 299
Internal Ingestion 280
Shoulder Strain, Sprain 277
Face Laceration 266
Finger Laceration 235
Eyeball Other 233
Foot Puncture 228
Head Foreign Body 202
Shoulder Dislocation 194
Upper Trunk Other 190
Hand Contusions, Abr. 183
Lower Trunk Other 175
Face Foreign Body 172
Head Laceration 171

Severity Breakdown

Treated/examined And Released 88.6% (7,869)
Treated And Admitted/hospitalized 4.3% (378)
Left Without Being Seen 2.9% (258)
Held For Observation 2.5% (218)
Treated And Transferred 1.8% (160)

ER Visit Narratives

Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.

Age 55 · Male · Upper Trunk · Other · 2024

55YOM WAS PLAYING DARTS AND DEVELOPED CHEST PAIN. DX: CHEST PAIN

Age 9 · Female · Face · Foreign Body · 2024

9 YOF INJURED NOSE, WHILE USING A DARTBOARD, ACCIDENTALLY HIT WITH A DART IN NOSE. DX-PUNCTURE WOUND NOSE, FOREIGN BODY NOSE

Age 60 · Female · Head · Internal Injury · 2024

60YOF WITH TRIP AND FALL STRIKING HER HEAD. SHE WAS OUT AT A BAR DRINKING ALCOHOL AND PARTYING THROWING DARTS WHEN SHE LOST HER BALANCE AND FELL TO THE GROUND AND HIT HER HEAD. BAL NA DX: HEAD INJURY, FALL, ALCOHOL INTOXICATION

Age 31 · Male · Shoulder · Dislocation · 2024

31YOM PRESENTS WITH A RIGHT SHOULDER DISLOCATION AFTER THROWING DARTS AT AD ART BOARD. HAD BEEN DRINKING BEER, BAC NOT COLLECTED. DX: ANTERIOR SHOULDER DISLOCATION, RIGHT

Age 4 · Female · Face · Derma/conjunct · 2024

4YOF HAD BEEN CHEWING ON A RED *** DART, TO ED WITH HIVES, REDNESS ITCHING AROUND MOUTH, CHEEKS AND EARS, DX RASH, POSS ALLERGIC REACTION

Age 52 · Female · Foot · Fracture · 2024

52 YOF C/O FOOT FRACTURE S/P FALL WHILE PLAYING DARTS WHILE INTOXICATED WITH ALCOHOL. BAL NOT STATED. DX: FOOT FRACTURE; ALCOHOL INTOXICATION

Age 45 · Male · Not Stated/unk · Other · 2024

45YOM REPORTS HE HAD SYNCOPE AFTER HE STARTED PLAYING DARTS AND FELL TO THE FLOOR DX NO INJURY

Age 21 · Male · Hand · Foreign Body · 2024

21YOM STATES HE AND HIS FRIENDS WERE PLAYING DARTS, HE HAD HIS HAND ON THE DART BOARD WHILE HIS FRIEND WAS THROWING DARTS AT THE DART BOARD, DART STRUCK HIS HAND DX RT 3RD FINGER FOREIGN BODY

Age 22 · Female · Eyeball · Contusions, Abr. · 2024

22YOF PREESNTS WITH EYE PAIN. PATIENT STATES SHE WAS PULLING A DART OUT OF THE DART BOARD AND IT CAME LOOSE SUDDENTLY AND THE BACK OF THE DARK STRUCK HER IN THE EYE. DX: CORNEAL ABRASION

Age 21 · Female · Ankle · Other · 2024

21YOF WAS AT A PARTY WHEN SHE WAS STRUCK BY A DART ON HER ANKLE. DX: LEFT ANKLE INJURY

Age 66 · Male · Shoulder · Strain, Sprain · 2024

66YOM DEVELOPED SHOULDER PAIN FROM THROWING DARTS. DX: RT SHOULDER STR

Age 13 · Male · Foot · Laceration · 2024

13YOM, WAS PLAYING WITH DART BOARD WHEN THREW A *** STAR AT THE DARTBOARD AND IT POUNCED OFF AND LANDED ONTO HIS FOOT, DX: LACERATION OF RIGHT FOOT

Consumer Incident Reports

Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.

3/6/2014 · Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received · VIACOM · North Carolina

My 4 year was playing with the dart board and when he threw the dart the board bounced off the refrigerator and left a laceration on his nose and the bottom rim of his eye. Also has a corneal abrasion.

3/18/2021 · Injury, First Aid Received by Non-Medical Professional · FenglinTech · New York

My son was playing with a new toy and when it opened it resulted in a dime-sized laceration to his finger. FenglinTech Grenade for [REDACTED], Large Capacity Foam Bullet Ball Hand Grenade for CS [REDACTED] Battle Game - V2 https://www.amazon.com/FenglinTech-Grenade-Capacity-Bullet-Battle/dp/B07L4M3JH2/ref=asc_df_B07L4M3JH2/?tag=hyprod- 20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241949400705&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13652528450033242231&hvpone=&hvptwo= &hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004740&hvtargid=pla-617440525650&psc=1

2/22/2012 · Injury, First Aid Received by Non-Medical Professional · MARKY SPARKY · Unspecified

I purchased a Marky Sparky Doinkit Dart Board from Amazon.com for our games room. It arrived quickly, looks nice, and is fun to play with. The trouble is that the metal face plate separated from the plastic back and sliced a little boys nose before it hit the floor. So beware, the metal face plate may not be securily fastened to the back. Pulling the darts off the board may result in injuries. I am going to drill a hole through the face plate and back then use a nut, bolt, and washer to make sure the two pieces stay together.

1/15/2013 · Incident, No Injury · Dollar General Corporation · West Virginia

Caller and wife purchase "Bullseye Safe" Dart Game, the board has plastic pins in it and after a short time of his 8yr old grandson playing with it the board pins began falling off and his 18 month old grandson saw one of them and put it in his mouth. Caller believes that his younger grandchild could have swallowed or choked on the one inch pin that he put in his mouth. Caller/grandfather took the one in his younger grandchilds mouth but states that if someone else's child was in a place where no one was watching as intently it could cause choking. He is asking that this game/toy be investigated and removed from purchase access. Child was not injured. Caller contacted the retailer who showed no interest The manufacturer is in China and he cannot access them

Product Recalls

Search for active and past recalls related to darts, for indoor use (activity or equipment) on the CPSC website.

Compare beyond Sports Protective Equipment & Gear

Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization

Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Darts, For Indoor Use (activity Or Equipment): cross-group products nearest on danger score (35/100), estimated annual ER visits (444/yr), and hospitalization share (6.7%). Same-group neighbours stay in Related Products above.

Read with this product

About this data

CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports form the basis of this page. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments.

According to PlainSafety's CPSC NEISS corpus ranking, Darts, For Indoor Use (activity Or Equipment) ranks #419 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #622 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does darts, for indoor use (activity or equipment) rank on danger score versus ER volume?

Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, darts, for indoor use (activity or equipment) ranks #419 by PlainSafety danger score (35/100) and #622 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (444/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.

What are the most common injuries from darts, for indoor use (activity or equipment)?

The most common injury is contusions, abr. to the eyeball, accounting for approximately 867 injuries over 20 years.

Are injuries from darts, for indoor use (activity or equipment) increasing or decreasing?

Up 46% over 5 years.

Who is most at risk for darts, for indoor use (activity or equipment) injuries?

The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 2,535 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.

What happens when someone is injured by darts, for indoor use (activity or equipment)?

Of all ER visits involving darts, for indoor use (activity or equipment), approximately 6.7% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (93.3%) are treated and released from the emergency department.

How can I report a safety problem with darts, for indoor use (activity or equipment)?

You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.

Data on Darts, For Indoor Use (activity Or Equipment) is compiled directly from CPSC NEISS and SaferProducts.gov records, current through 2024. See our methodology for details.

Disclaimer: This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.

PlainSafety is rendered directly from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall and incident records, no number is typed in by an editor. Product recall timelines and hazard labels are drawn from CPSC recall records for this product. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.