Flying Toys
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.
Toys & Children's Recreation · CPSC Code 1317
No trend data
The verdict
Flying Toys carry a danger score of 33/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 9,724 ER-treated injuries a year that are stable over the most recent five-year window.
- 33/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 9,724
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 1.8%
- end in hospital admission
- 15-24
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1317 - last data year 2009.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 33/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for flying toys - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume9,724 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)1.8%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trendN/A
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Flying Toys (CPSC product code 1317, in the Toys & Children's Recreation category) generate an estimated 9,724 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 48,621 ER-treated injuries across the 5-year span from 2005 to 2009. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 33/100 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 stable over the most recent five-year window, with the busiest year on record being 2007 (11,049 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2006 (8,464 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for flying toys is strain, sprain to the ankle, accounting for approximately 6,180 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the face (4,392 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 25,270 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 1.8% 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 flying toys 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 2009-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2009)
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 | 1,141 | 283 | |
| 5-14 | 6,400 | 2,396 | |
| 15-24 | 18,290 | 6,980 | |
| 25-34 | 4,813 | 1,515 | |
| 35-44 | 2,466 | 847 | |
| 45-54 | 1,659 | 711 | |
| 55-64 | 162 | 478 | |
| 65-74 | 185 | 31 | |
| 75+ | 101 | 159 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Fracture | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Shoulder | Strain, Sprain | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Shoulder | Fracture | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Shoulder | Dislocation | |
| Foot | Strain, Sprain | |
| Wrist | Fracture |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
INJURY TO RIGHT WRIST FROM WIRE WHILE PLAYING WITH ***. DX-LACERATION RIGHT WRIST
ANKLE INJURY FROM INVERTING LEFT ANKLE PLAYING ***. DX-LEFT ANKLE FIBULA FRACTURE
PT WAS HIT IN HEAD BY A ***, LACERATION OVER THE LEFT EYE
PT C/O R INDEX FINGER PAIN SWELLING&NUMBNESS AFTER HAVING A DIRECT BLOWFROM *** WHILE PLAYING DX CONTUSION RT INDEX FINGER*
PT PLAYING *** WITH HIS KIDS IN THE YARD AND RAN FACE FIRST INTO A POLE SUUSTAINED A LACERATION TO FACE
PLAYING ***, SLID ON GRASS & GRASS & TWISTED ANKLE, FELT POP. FX/DISLOCATION L ANKLE.
PT WAS PLAYING *** *** AND INJURED ANKLE YESTERDAY BY TWISTINGIT C/O PAIN. DX: ANKLE SPRAIN
PT WAS PLAYING *** IN P.E. YESTERDAY AND FELL. NOW C/O ANKLE PAIN. D:ANKLE SPRAIN.
PLAYING *** AND HIT IN MOUTH. DX LIP LACERATION
PT WAS HIT IN THE FACE WITH A *** C/O UPPER TEETH BEING LOOSE,NOSE PAIN. DX: FACIAL CONTUSION
PT WAS PLAYING *** AND FELL DOWN C/O LOWER BACK PAIN. DX: LUMBOSACRAL BACK STRAIN
PT HAD PX PLAYING *** GOLF AT PARK. DX: THORACIC/LUMBAR STRAIN.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to flying toys on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are flying toys?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, flying toys have a danger score of 33/100 (low risk). An estimated 9,724 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from flying toys?
The most common injury is strain, sprain to the ankle, accounting for approximately 6,180 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from flying toys increasing or decreasing?
No trend data.
Who is most at risk for flying toys injuries?
The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 25,270 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by flying toys?
Of all ER visits involving flying toys, approximately 1.8% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.2%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with flying toys?
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 Toys & Children's Recreation
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 33/100 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.
