408 - Youth and Adolescent Recreational Vehicle Usage and Utilization of Safety Materials

Publication Number: 408.7116

Carly Menker, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Ashley Keese, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Karen Sheehan, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Michelle Macy, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Marie E. Heffernan, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States

Background: Helmet use is crucial for mitigating the high risk of severe head injuries associated with motorized recreational vehicles. While there is guidance for the use of helmets when riding bicycles and non-motorized scooters, little is known about helmet usage with motorized recreational vehicles, including electric bicycles (e-bikes) and electric scooters, which have only recently become more widely available for use by youth.

Objective: To understand the frequency of motorized recreational vehicles among youth and adolescents and their use of helmets when riding electric recreational vehicles (e.g., e-bikes, electric scooters).

Design/Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in September 2024 through the Voices of Child Health Parent Panel Survey, a biannual survey administered in English and Spanish via web and phone to parents from across the state of Illinois. Parents were eligible if they had at least one child < 18 years old in the household. Parents indicated whether any of their children ever used the following motorized recreational vehicles (e-bikes, electric scooters, snowmobiles, and all-terrain vehicles [ATVs]). Survey responses were weighted to match demographic benchmarks for Illinois.

Results: Responses were received from 1,078 parents (57.4% White, 21.7% Latinx, 10.7% Asian/Other, and 10.3% Black) with a higher percentage of female respondents (54.6%). The survey completion rate was 35.0%. Parent reports on motorized recreational vehicle usage revealed that electric scooters were the most frequently used by children (23.5%), followed by ATVs (12.5%), e-bikes (8.7%) and snowmobiles (4.9%). Helmet use varied by vehicle type. Among parents who said their children used e-bikes, less than half said they “always” used helmets (47.5%), and among youth who used electric scooters, only 35.7% “always” used helmets. Helmet use was higher for youth who used snowmobiles (62.6% “always”) and ATVs (51.2% “always”).

Conclusion(s): The electric scooters were the most frequently used motorized vehicle among youth, and this vehicle type had the lowest proportion of consistent helmet use. This discrepancy suggests a need for targeted safety interventions to improve helmet usage, particularly for electric scooters and e-bikes, which are relatively new vehicle types being used by youth. Caregivers and families may benefit from campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of helmet use for youth and adolescents when riding motorized recreational vehicles.

Table 1
Sample Demographic Info

Table 2
Parent Responses about Recreational Vehicle Use

Table 3
Parent Responses about Helmet Use