The Associated Press has reported that 18 children under the age of 15 died in 2007 because of the toys they were playing with or while they were playing with specific toys. The findings were based on data collected by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC reported that in total, 232,900 toy-related injuries sent children to the hospital last year.
Here are some statistics from their findings:
· Five children died while riding tricycles. In one case, a child rode in front of a car, in another case one fell from the bike, in the other three cases, the children rode their bikes into unprotected pools and drowned.
· Four children choked on rubber balls.
· Two children choked on uninflated balloons.
· Fourteen of the 18 children were boys, while only four were girls.
· Two children were hit by cars while riding push scooters.
· One baby suffocated on a stuffed animal.
· One drowned while playing with an inflatable toy in water, while another boy drowned while playing with a toy boat.
· One drowned when he rode a battery-powered vehicle into a pool.