Shopping Carts Harm Children Daily in the U.S.: What should you Watch for?

An everyday shopping cart at the grocery store might seem an unlikely vehicle for danger, but recent statistics estimate that 66 children in the United States alone are hurt from one every day.

"This is a setup for a major injury," said lead study author and director of the Nationwide's Center for Injury and Research Policy in Columbus, Ohio, via a press release. "The major group we are concerned about are children under 5."

Research shows that approximately one child is badly injured every 22 minutes by these seemingly harmless carts--many with injuries that even result in emergency room visits.

Smith notes, via NBC, that the problem hasn't gotten any better since shopping cart safety standards took effect in 2004. In fact, according to their analysis, the annual number of concussions tied to shopping carts has jumped from 15 to nearly 90 percent.

He stresses that younger children make up 85 percent of the injuries, as many have been found to fall out of the carts or run into them and trip over.

He suggests that parents opt for carts with child safety seats low to the ground. If these are not available, he suggests avoiding shopping carts altogether.

What do you think?

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Clinical Pediatrics.