- Knowledgebase: Child Safety, Injury Prevention and Treatment
- Questions about child safety and injury prevention, as well as treatment for minor injuries.
- 14. Sledding Safety - Top
- Consider the following tips for safe sledding:
Inspect a sledding course for hazards. Trees, fences, rocks and telephone poles can cause injuries. Hay bales may not always protect your child from hazards.
Make sure the run at the bottom of the hill is long enough for the sled to safely stop on its own.
Avoid hills with very steep inclines.
Never sled near traffic, roads, parking lots, rivers or bodies of water.
Only sled during daylight hours.
Sleds and toboggans should not be used on the same hills. Toboggans, which may be more difficult to control than sleds, should only be used on toboggan runs.
Do not sled on icy hills. The hills should be snow-covered.
Small children should be accompanied by an adult.
Insist that children wear bicycle helmets while sledding.
Do not ride head-first or on the stomach. Ride in a sitting position or feet-first while lying on your back. Support your body with your elbows.
If an adult rides on a sled with a child, the adult should sit with the child seated snugly in front, between the adult's legs.
Avoid sledding over snow bumps.
Stay alert, keep your eyes open and use common sense.
When going back up the hill, walk to the side of it away from sleds and toboggans.
To find out where sled and toboggan hills are located and the hours they are open, call your local parks system.
- Updated: June 11, 2001
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