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Article ID: 7783
Title: Think Twice Before Installing Backyard Ramps
By: Alice Langholt

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Think Twice Before Installing Backyard Ramps

Even if you install backyard ramps and supervise your child’s extreme sports carefully, you can’t avoid accidents. Extreme sports are becoming increasingly popular with kids and teens. Many parents can relate to being begged for a trampoline, backyard ramp, halfpipe ramp or dirt bike ramp. 

The Dangers of Skate Ramps
Wearing protective helmets, kneepads and wrist guards can greatly reduce the severity of injuries during skateboarding, but 50,000 skateboard injuries occur yearly, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

You may be able to give your kids and their friends the safest backyard ramp possible, but you can’t control what they do once they’re on the ramp. Kids are thrilled by speed and danger, and teens often feel invulnerable, leading them to attempt some dangerous stunts. In an attempt to be the next Tony Hawk, a kid might wind up with a broken arm.

Backyard Ramps and Liability
Having this equipment in your yard makes you liable for injuries, which can affect your homeowner’s insurance rates. Your child’s neighborhood friends, not to mention your own adult friends, will doubtless flock to your house to use the cool sports equipment, and the responsibility for them will fall on you. Insurance companies may be cautious about insuring this equipment.

The safest option is to take your child to a public skateboard ramp, and be sure he or she has the proper safety equipment. At least you will be able to focus on their skating without worrying about liability matters.

If You Do Get a Backyard Ramp
Make an informed decision before installing such equipment in your yard. If you want to go for it, get the most stable equipment possible, made from the strongest material that won’t crack or splinter. Inform your insurance agent, and set strong rules for your child’s usage in terms of supervision and friends’ use. Consider installing fencing around the equipment that you can lock closed when out of town or away from home, as a die-hard extreme sports fan cannot resist a good skate or bike ramp.