Karting accidents

Karting, or go-karting, involves the driving of small, special purpose motorized vehicles, utilizing the skills and techniques of auto racing. Karting is available to the general public and therefore almost everyone can enjoy the excitement of motor sport, but it can also be dangerous. The following hazards are mentioned in the literature: impact injuries, entanglement (of hair, loose clothing or body parts), burns, and exposure to chemicals. In the Netherlands, the number of treatments at hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments following karting accidents has increased sharply in recent years (Dutch Injury Surveillance System 1989–1999, Consumer Safety Institute). Whereas there were a few dozen such treatments each year in the early 1990s, in the period 1997–1999 the number rose to an average of 1300 annually. The rise in karting accidents has coincided with a fall of 11% in the number of sporting injuries as a whole – including physical education – during the period 1990–1999. Although it is known that the number of karting tracks in the Netherlands increased during the nineties, the rise in the number of karting accidents is still worrying.