Darts, Not Otherwise Specified (n.o.s.)
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Sports Protective Equipment & Gear · CPSC Code 3291
Stable over 5 years
The verdict
Darts, Not Otherwise Specified (n.o.s.) carry a danger score of 31/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 455 ER-treated injuries a year that are roughly flat over the last five years.
- 31/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 455
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 4.0%
- end in hospital admission
- 15-24
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 3291 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 31/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for darts, not otherwise specified (n.o.s.) - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume455 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)4.0%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-1%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Darts, Not Otherwise Specified (n.o.s.) (CPSC product code 3291, in the Sports Protective Equipment & Gear category) generate an estimated 455 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 9,098 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 31/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (836 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (174 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for darts, not otherwise specified (n.o.s.) is contusions, abr. to the eyeball, accounting for approximately 1,117 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by other to the eyeball (570 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 2,268 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 4.0% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 0 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how darts, not otherwise specified (n.o.s.) 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)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 255 | 305 | |
| 5-14 | 1,592 | 558 | |
| 15-24 | 1,490 | 778 | |
| 25-34 | 648 | 394 | |
| 35-44 | 1,148 | 696 | |
| 45-54 | 604 | 147 | |
| 55-64 | 287 | 108 | |
| 75+ | 87 | 0 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Hand | Puncture | |
| Internal | Ingestion | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Foot | Puncture | |
| Knee | Other | |
| Finger | Puncture | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| All Parts Body | Other | |
| Lower Trunk | Puncture | |
| Lower Leg | Puncture | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Wrist | Puncture |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
19 YOM INJURED FROM IMPALED DART, YESTERDAY. DX- PUNCTURE WOUND RIGHT LOWER LEG
58 YOF INJURED KNEE SHOOTING DARTS DX: PAIN
62YOM WAS THROWING DARTS AND DEVELOPED WORSENING LOW BACK PAIN. DX: LOW BACK PAIN
15 YOM HAS A PUNCTURE WOUND TO FINGER FROM A DART DX: PUNCTURE
12YOF, C/O HAND INJURY, PT WAS PLAYING DARTS WHEN THE DART GOT STUCK IN THE PALM OF HER HAND. DX:PUNTURE WOUND
19YOM PRESENTS TO THE ED AFTER THE PATIENT WAS PULLING DARTS OUT OF A DARTBOARD WHEN PATIENT GOT STRUCK WITH A DART ON LEFT HAND COMPLAINING OF PUNCTURE WOUND. DX: PUNCTURE WOUND TO HAND, FOREIGN BODY REMOVAL
38 YOF WAS SITTING AT A BUS STOP TALKING TO THE OTHER PERSON AT THE BUS STOP WHEN SHE FELT SOMETHING SHARP IN HER CHEST. SHE LOOKED DOWN AND SAW A SHARP METAL DART STICKING OUT OF HER CHEST. DX: PENETRATING WOUND OF RIGHT SIDE OF CHEST
41YOF PRESENTS TO THE ED AFTER THE PATIENT GOT SHOT IN THE LEFT EYE WITH A DART COMPLAINING OF PAIN/SWELLING, BLURRED VISION. DX: EYE PAIN, UVETIS AFTER TRAUMA
44 YOM REPORTS LEFT SIDED CHEST PAIN RIGHT AFTER HE WAS IN A DART TOURNAMENT. DX: CHEST PAIN
19YOM WAS USING A DIRTY THROWING DART TO CLEAN PAINT OFF OF HIS *** AND INJURED FINGER. DX: PUNCTURE WOUND TO FINGER
18YOM DISLOCATED SHOULDER WHEN PLAYING DARTS. DX: RT SHOULDER DIS
44YOM DEVELOPED NECK PAIN FROM THROWING DARTS FOR SEVERAL HOURS. DX: CERVICAL NECK PAIN
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to darts, not otherwise specified (n.o.s.) on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are darts, not otherwise specified (n.o.s.)?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, darts, not otherwise specified (n.o.s.) have a danger score of 31/100 (low risk). An estimated 455 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from darts, not otherwise specified (n.o.s.)?
The most common injury is contusions, abr. to the eyeball, accounting for approximately 1,117 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from darts, not otherwise specified (n.o.s.) increasing or decreasing?
Stable over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for darts, not otherwise specified (n.o.s.) injuries?
The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 2,268 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by darts, not otherwise specified (n.o.s.)?
Of all ER visits involving darts, not otherwise specified (n.o.s.), approximately 4.0% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (96.0%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with darts, not otherwise specified (n.o.s.)?
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.
Related Products in Sports Protective Equipment & Gear
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 31/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 15-24 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
