CPSC NEISS · code 1217

Sleds

Sleds: danger rank #213 of 838 is not ER-volume rank #128 of 838 (18,386 estimated ER visits a year; declining by about 11% over the last five years).

Sports & Recreation Equipment CPSC NEISS through 2024

Danger score versus ER volume

Danger score versus ER volume

According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Sleds ranks #213 of 838 by danger score (39/100) at ER-volume #128 of 838 (18,386/yr). They are not the same ranking.

#213
danger rank of 838
#128
ER-volume rank of 838
39/100
danger score
18,386/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 (39/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories

39 Around the middle lower than 25% 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: 54/100

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) 5 45th 35% CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index
Annual ER injury volume 18,386 80th 30% CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries
5-year injury trend -11% 50th 15% CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries
Consumer incident reports 5 34th 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 367,732 estimated ER injuries land on the body

Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 1217. Segments sum to 367,732 - 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 & Recreation Equipment 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 & Recreation Equipment danger scores

1. Golf (activity, Apparel O…49/1002. Scuba Diving (activity, A…48/1003. Golf Carts, Motorized Veh…48/1004. Swimming Pools, Not Speci…46/1005. Horseback Riding (activit…46/1006. Snowmobiles (activity, Ap…45/1007. Trampolines43/1008. Sleds39/100
Higher score = higher composite danger in this group. Peer set is other scored products sharing the same CPSC group.
0/100100/10039/100
PlainSafety danger score · Sleds

Source: CPSC NEISS danger-score model As of 2024

How this 39/100 score is built

The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for sleds - no opinion, no editorializing:

  • Injury volume 18,386 ER visits/yr High volume
  • Severity (hospitalization rate) 5.0% Below median admission rate
  • Fatality rate 0.01% Low fatality rate
  • 5-year trend-11%

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 sleds are declining by about 11% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2007 (42,345 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2023 (6,134 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 28,458 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the face (20,912 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 187,712 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 5.0% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.01%) result in fatality.

Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 5 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how sleds 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)

010K20K30K40K50K 20052008201120142017202020232024 10K
Estimated annual emergency-room visits for Sleds, 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 13,876 8,868 22,744
5-14 110,357 77,355 187,712
15-24 37,303 34,634 71,937
25-34 15,256 20,618 35,874
35-44 14,777 13,320 28,097
45-54 7,360 6,095 13,455
55-64 2,063 2,939 5,002
65-74 1,139 1,103 2,242
75+ 266 391 657

Most Common Injuries

Body Part Diagnosis Est. Injuries
Head Internal Injury 28,458
Face Laceration 20,912
Head Concussion 19,693
Lower Trunk Contusions, Abr. 14,444
Ankle Strain, Sprain 14,227
Lower Leg Fracture 11,729
Wrist Fracture 11,195
Shoulder Fracture 10,456
Upper Trunk Contusions, Abr. 10,028
Ankle Fracture 9,785
Face Contusions, Abr. 9,261
Lower Trunk Strain, Sprain 8,827
Lower Arm Fracture 8,554
Head Laceration 8,170
Knee Strain, Sprain 7,810

Severity Breakdown

Treated/examined And Released 94.7% (348,114)
Treated And Admitted/hospitalized 3.0% (10,980)
Treated And Transferred 1.6% (6,038)
Left Without Being Seen 0.4% (1,505)
Held For Observation 0.3% (1,003)
Fatality Incl. Doa, Died In Er 0.0% (92)

ER Visit Narratives

Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.

Age 8 · Male · Mouth · Contusions, Abr. · 2024

8YOM PRESENT TO ED C/O LIP LAC AFTER SLIDING EARLIER TODAY,WAS CLIMBING BACK UP THE HILL SLID FORWARD HIT L UPPER LIP ON EDGE OF PLASTIC SLIDE.NO LOC,HIT HIS HEAD WAS WEARING A HELMET.PCP REFERRED TO EDDX: ABRASION

Age 13 · Male · Shoulder · Strain, Sprain · 2024

13YOM HIT CLAVICLE ON POLE WHILE SLEDDING (WAS ON SLED HEAD FIRST), DX SPRAINED SHOULDER

Age 57 · Male · Foot · Other · 2024

57YOM PATIENT INJURIED HIS LEFT FOOT WHEN HE GOT HIS FOOT STUCK IN A SLED DX: INJURY OF LEFT FOOT, SOFT TISSUE SWELLING

Age 13 · Female · Ankle · Other · 2024

13 YOF C/O ANKLE PAIN S/P CRASHED INTO A TREE WHILE SLEDDING. DX: ANKLE PAIN

Age 5 · Male · Head · Concussion · 2024

5YOM WITH SLED HITTING A CHAIR DX CONCUSSION

Age 11 · Female · Upper Trunk · Other · 2024

11YOF WAS SLEDDING DOWN A HILL AND HIT BACK DX: BACK PAIN

Age 14 · Female · Upper Trunk · Fracture · 2024

14YOF WAS SLEDDING AND CRASHED INTO A TREE DX RIB FRACTURE

Age 11 · Female · Face · Laceration · 2024

11YOF WAS SLEDDING DOWN A HILL WHEN SHE WENT INTO THE SIDE OF AN ABOVE GROUND SWIMING POOL STRIKING FACE DX: LACERATION TO NOSE

Age 2 · Female · Elbow · Dislocation · 2024

2YOF WAS SLEDDING AT HOME AND FELL OFF NOW WILL NOT MOVE RIGHT ARM DX: NURSE MAIDS ELBOW

Age 3 · Male · Head · Internal Injury · 2024

3YOM WAS GOING DOWN A HILL ON A SLED AND CRASHED INTO THE SIDE OF HIS HOUSE DX: CLOSED HEAD INJURY, ABRASION FACE

Age 5 · Female · Head · Internal Injury · 2024

5YOF WAS SLEDDING WHEN SHE FELL OFF STRIKING HER FACE ON THE GROUND DX: CLOSED HEAD INJURY, LIP LACERATION

Age 11 · Female · Upper Arm · Fracture · 2024

11YOF WAS SLEDDING AND FELL OFF THE SIDE OF THE SLED STRIKING LEFT SHOULDER DX: FRACTURED LEFT UPPER ARM

Consumer Incident Reports

Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.

6/11/2016 · Injury, First Aid Received by Non-Medical Professional · Cool Front, Inc · Iowa

Last winter we were using our sleds in our yard. As I was going down the hill, I tried to turn to avoid an obstacle I lost steering and the front of the sled collapsed. Black eye and a new scar! Yoke of front handle bar was found to be severely cracked. Contacted manufacturer, they replaced sled.

2/6/2020 · Death · Agit Global · Idaho

An 11 year old boy was playing at a park. He had climbed to the top of a metal slide, and was attempting to use his sled to go down the slide (it had recently snowed). The sled was stuck at the top of the slide. The 11 year old boy was found by his younger sibling hanging off of the side of the slide with his feet off of the ground. The rope of the sled was around his neck. The sled was a Sno-Storm 50" Vipernex Snow Sled.

2/6/2012 · Incident, No Injury · Aqua Leisure Industries, Inc · Nebraska

Purchased this product: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Uncle-Bob-33-Character-Pull-Sled/19415251 Placed my Grandchild on it, after placing it in the snow, on a level field of snow. He was seated properly, and wasn't moving. I gave it a test pull, mostly to get a feel, and to see his reaction, but I believe his weight moved a little to his right, and the sled tipped over, dumping him face first into the snow. This was right after I had inflated the sled, so was the first try at using it. The distance it was pulled was less then a foot. After the incident, I looked at it, and found it very unstable. I am very happy I wasn't moving faster when this happened. I find the back where the child leans is the problem. Leaning back is fine, but if the weight is moved to the left or right, the sled tips over.

2/16/2021 · Incident, No Injury · Kwik Tek, Inc. · Michigan

Sled handlebar break after the second day we used. the sled even has the original stickers since was barely used after we purchased on 2014 . we are lucky we never used any demanding conditions. I already contact the company how already have a recall active and they denied is a related issue with the recall. Name of product: Sleds Hazard: The front handle bar assembly of the sleds can break, posing a crash hazard. Remedy: Replace Recall date: June 8, 2016 Units: About 4,200

1/12/2015 · Incident, No Injury · PARICON SLEDS · Connecticut

My kid's sled purchased at Tractor Supply Co. shattered resulting in sharp edges and dagger-like points; there is a deficiency in the plastic either in manufacturing or in the plastic used. My child was sledding down a hill, encountered a bump which fractured the sled into pieces. A plastic material in a winter sled should be able to withstand cold temperatures (it is a winter sled after all) This product is unsafe should be pulled from stores and recalled.

Product Recalls

Search for active and past recalls related to sleds on the CPSC website.

Compare beyond Sports & Recreation Equipment

Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization

Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Sleds: cross-group products nearest on danger score (39/100), estimated annual ER visits (18,386/yr), and hospitalization share (5.0%). 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, Sleds ranks #213 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #128 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does sleds rank on danger score versus ER volume?

Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, sleds ranks #213 by PlainSafety danger score (39/100) and #128 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (18,386/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.

What are the most common injuries from sleds?

The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 28,458 injuries over 20 years.

Are injuries from sleds increasing or decreasing?

Down 11% over 5 years.

Who is most at risk for sleds injuries?

The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 187,712 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.

What happens when someone is injured by sleds?

Of all ER visits involving sleds, approximately 5.0% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (95.0%) are treated and released from the emergency department.

How can I report a safety problem with sleds?

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 Sleds 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.