The Product Safety Commission forecasts 83 000 emergency room cases this year from skating injuries, more than double last year's figure. Sixty percent will be children under age 15. Wrist injuries are the most common, followed by lower arm, leg, and head injuries. What makes in-line skating (or Rollerblading, from the name of a popular brand) dangerous is failure to wear protective gear, lack of instruction and possibly what the commission calls "high-risk behavior," or what daredevils call hot-dogging.Most people are being injured because the sport has become so popular—l2 million participants last year compared with 3.5 million participants in 1990. There are also a huge number of beginners.
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