After CPSC's Latest Recall, Pogo or No-pogo?

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been warning parents about potential dangers of pogo sticks since at least 2004. That's when it ranked pogo sticks and stilts, collectively, as the third highest toy product category in terms of injury and death costs. The number of falls from pogo sticks resulting in injury increased significantly from 1997 to 2002, the CPSC report said.

Seven years later, CPSC is still issuing safety recalls on pogo sticks. The most recent involves Bravo Sports, which sells Disney branded models. The five models of pogo stick under recall are: Disney Pixar Cars, Disney Princess, Disney's Fairies Cruising Cool, Disney Hannah Montana, and Disney Pixar Toy Story Cruising Cool.

159,000 Bravo pogo sticks came under scrutiny after five reported falls resulting in injuries from skull fracture to chipped teeth, cuts, scrapes and bumps.

Do these injury reports mean pogo sticks are dangerous?

Safe Pogo Stick Use

When the rubber tip at the base of any pogo stick wears down, the pogo stick may fail to perform correctly. This is something that all pogo stick owners need to know. Other safety guidelines published by Pogosticks.com include these tips:

* Always wear a helmet.

* Follow the weight guideline.

* Use only on hard surfaces.

* Wear shoes.

Recent History of Pogo Stick Recalls

The Bravo Disney pogo stick recall isn't the first time the CPSC has pronounced specific pogo sticks unsafe. In November, the agency and manufacturer issued a joint recall notice affecting 3,100 Sportcraft pogo sticks. In that case, the cause was aluminum rivets prone to failure. Rivet breakage allowed the support clamps to fall away and release the springs which in turn created a risk of falls and lacerations.

In 2005, 154,000 Fisher Price Glo to Pro pogo sticks faced recall. A sticking internal metal pin capable of unexpectedly releasing the stick from the down position prompted that recall.

These recalls might give a parent pause. And reason to ask:

But Are Pogo Sticks Dangerous?

Pogo sticks have been around since 1919 and saw the height of their popularity in the 1920s. As far as their overall safety goes, Findsportsnow rates pogo sticking a relatively safe sport with injuries usually limited to minor scrapes and bruises. Helmets and padding are instrumental in minimizing the risk of injuries, the site says.

One reason pogo sticks are relatively safe is because a user can jump off to avert potential dangers.

The upshot seems to be this: avoid defectively-manufactured pogo sticks and you're pretty safe to pogo.

Carol Bengle Gilbert writes about consumer issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network