Toboggans
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 & Recreation Equipment · CPSC Code 1273
Down 37% over 5 years
The verdict
Toboggans carry a danger score of 26/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 255 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 37% over the last five years.
- 26/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 255
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 4.0%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1273 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 26/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for toboggans - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume255 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)4.0%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-37%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Toboggans (CPSC product code 1273, in the Sports & Recreation Equipment category) generate an estimated 255 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 4,339 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 26/100 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 declining by about 37% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2015 (642 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2023 (16 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for toboggans is concussion to the head, accounting for approximately 407 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by contusions, abr. to the face (302 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 1,872 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 toboggans 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 | 141 | 15 | |
| 5-14 | 1,037 | 835 | |
| 15-24 | 233 | 809 | |
| 25-34 | 381 | 140 | |
| 35-44 | 166 | 15 | |
| 45-54 | 240 | 0 | |
| 55-64 | 149 | 15 | |
| 65-74 | 84 | 0 | |
| 75+ | 82 | 0 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Concussion | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Fracture | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Arm | Fracture | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Leg | Fracture | |
| Finger | Dislocation | |
| Shoulder | Fracture | |
| Wrist | Fracture | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Foot | Other |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
56YOM LAC TO FINGER WHEN TRYING TO USE HAND TO SLOW DOWN WHEN ON TOBAGGAN. + LAC TO FINGER NOTEDDX OPEN DOSLOCATION LITTLE FINGER
34 YOM SNOW SLEDDING ACCIDENT DX CONCUSSION, NECK MUSCLE STRAIN
28 YOF SNOW SLEDDING ACCIDENT DX CONCUSSION, CERVICAL STRAIN
14YOM WAS AT SCHOOL WALKING TO LUNCH WITH HIS FRIENDS WHEN THEY WERE JOKING AROUND IN THE HALLWAY AND A FRIEND HAD PUSHED HIM, CAUSING HIM TO FALL BACKWARDS AND STRIKE THE BACK OF HIS HEAD OFF OF THE ATRIUM LOC DX: CLOSED HEAD INJURY WITH CONCUSSION
56yom R collar bone pain when in a bobsled accident in ***DX closed FX clavicle
23YOF.REFERS WAS IN TOGG0OBAN LEG GOT STUCK.DX.FRAXLT.LEG(PLATEU)
21 YOF SLEDDING ACCIDENT DOWN HILL DX LACERATION LIP
19 YOF SLEDDING ACCIDENT GOING DOWNHILL DX RIB CONTUSION, CONTUSION HIP
37 YOM SNOW SLEDDING HURT KNEE DX SPRAIN KNEE
10YOF WHO WAS SLIDING IN A TOBOGGAN AND RAN INTO AN ANCHORED PARK BENCH. SHE DID NOT HIT HER HEAD BUT WAS WEDGED UNDERNEATH THE PARK BENCH. DX: CONTUSION OF CHEST WALL, UNSPECIFIED LATERALITY.
65 YOM C/O PAIN TO LOWER BACK THAT HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTON WORSE SINCE TOBOGGANNING A COUPLE MONTHS AGO DX ACUTE RIGHT SIDED SACROILITITIS
14YOM MADE A RAMP FOR SLEDDING, WENT AIRBORNE AND CAME DOWN, STRIKING HIS HEAD ON THE TOBOGGAN. NOW WITH NECK PAIN AND HEADACHE, PHOTOPHOBIA, DIZZINESS, AND NAUSEA. DIAGNOSIS: CONCUSSION WITHOUT LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS PLUS NECK STRAIN.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to toboggans on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are toboggans?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, toboggans have a danger score of 26/100 (low risk). An estimated 255 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from toboggans?
The most common injury is concussion to the head, accounting for approximately 407 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from toboggans increasing or decreasing?
Down 37% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for toboggans injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 1,872 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by toboggans?
Of all ER visits involving toboggans, 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 toboggans?
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 & Recreation Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 26/100 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 5-14 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.
