Your thoughts on Heelys needed for BBC breakfast - are they a danger?

[JustineMumsnet]

Hello,
What's your view of Heelys? They've recently been labelled the most dangerous toy by a consumer group - read about it here - and I'm going on BBC breakfast tomorrow to give the Mumsnet view. Are they dangerous, should they come with a health warning, a public menace or is a risk of injury just part of growing up? Be very grateful for your thoughts...
Thanks

I bought them for my neices in Australia (7 and 9 years old). My sister is pretty careful where the girls use them (really only at home and the skate park). They love them and haven't had any falls at all

you don't generally get people ice skating, roller blading, horse riding, skiing, climbing trees etc in the middle of crowded airports or shopping centres though

.... which is where I've seen them being annoying and hazardous

I'd love a pair too. My ds1 is keen on a pair, feet aren't big enough. He's a dab hand on a skateboard too and yes he's got all the protective gear as has ds2 (3). Kids used to go-kart down hills in orange crate homemade karts without anything. Yes I can imagine that they're a nuisance in public places as can be pushchairs rammed into heels, shopping carts, scooters etc. We should all be grateful that kids want to get active.

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cod
don't forget the super casino

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I'd have loved them when I was younger.
Tbh if it got my dd to walk a bit faster, then they are great in book
The're just as dangerous as skateboards and bikes IMO.

Possibly less dangerous than sledging downhill at high speed with 6 on a sledge, go-karting down steps, going over your handlebars on your bike, skateboarding down a handrail, walking into a swing, falling off a trampoline - all things I did as a child (Action Kbear ).

It's childhood, it's all good fun! My DD is 8, she has them so do all her mates pretty much. No more dangerous than roller skates IMHO. She wore her bike hat and knee pads until she got the hang of it though ha ha and we stick to Heeleying round the park rather than round Bluewater!

Give us a wave tomorrow Justine!

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So what i was trying to say is, no i dont think theyre dangerous.

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Common sense says don't wear them all the time and use safety equipment if you want to increase the safety, just like any skates! Surely this is obvious to any parent?

I think the real problem is that they are too expensive.

trampolines are worse as hardly anyone follows the manufacturers instructions eg only 1 child bouncing at a time...

yeah, and don't bounce when you're drunk, I always forget that.

I agree with Cod. They look daft - and HOW much do they cost fgs? Could have a family trip to the theatre for the price! Or feed the family for a week. Think they are a silly waste of money but don't have an opinion regarding how dangerous they are. BUT dangerous for any daft kid who nearly crashes into me in the supermarket in them, possibly.

Heelies are sometimes a mild irritant.

Wet zorbing, scad diving and potholing are dangerous.

two children in our school have recently broken their arm by 'falling off' heelies
our school have banned them

"Could have a family trip to the theatre for the price!"

har!

Heelies...... family trip to the theatre?

A hard choice.

Har!

Yes, I don't think they should be allowed at school.

Makes a mockery of the 'walk in the corridor' rule.

I don't have a problem with them as such, but I do get really annoyed when they are used inappropriately. I have to say that none of the vast hoardes of kids whizzing around IKEA in the evenings have worn any kind of safety equipment. Not all of the kids using them are being a pain, but I'd say a good 50% of them don't watch where they are going, aren't supervised sufficiently, and go too fast for the environment they are in. Unfortunately unlike bikes, skateboards etc it's not really possible to ban them as we can't expect parents to agree to their children walking around in their socks! Since christmas it's become a real hazard.

Its not the danger of falling over in them that worries me (skateboards/bikes/roller blades all carry that risk) - its the awful position the child's feet seems to be in. Surely that can't be good?