Mountain biking comes in tied for 5th in the National Estimates of Outdoor Recreational Injuries Treated in Emergency Departments for non-fatal injuries.
The top four are:
25.5% – Snowboarding
10.8% – Sledding
6.3% – Hiking – who would of thought?
3.7% – Personal Watercraft (not boats)
Mountain biking is tied with Water skiing at 3.6%. And just below mountain biking is… wait for it… fishing at 3.3%. FISHING! Can someone explain to me how fishing has more emergency department non-fatal injuries than say: mountain climbing? horseback riding? swimming?
If you break down the “other” category, Mountain Biking drops even further. It falls below Snow Skiing at 24.2%, Surfing at 8.4% and Snowmobiles at 3.8%. Those snow sports are dangerous. Being an avid skier and a beginning snowboarder, I can say that I am not completely surprised.
Here’s the link.
Explanation of the dangers of Fishing:
A good fisherman always brings his pole…and BEER. <–Root of fishing injuries.
There you have it.
Here’s why…
I agree. Alcohol has got be a factor. Plus its not mentioned whether or not fishing is on a boat increasing the factor for falling in or bumps and bruises from a rocking boat. Not to mention cuts from filleting/gutting of fish and hook removal.