{"id":45932,"date":"2024-03-27T09:56:41","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T14:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.allenandallen.com\/?p=45932"},"modified":"2025-11-13T11:42:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T16:42:30","slug":"ir-a-karting-pasatiempo-divertido-o-peligro-oculto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.allenandallen.com\/es\/blog\/go-karting-fun-pastime-or-hidden-danger\/","title":{"rendered":"Karting: \u00bfpasatiempo divertido o peligro oculto?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Picture it: Maryland 2005, in the midst of a sweltering summer. I was working at a kids\u2019 camp, and one fine day we took the children to an adventure park. The place featured fun activities such as bumper boats, laser tag, and go-karting. The kindergartners weren\u2019t old enough to drive the karts themselves, so I volunteered to drive a few around.<\/p>\n

I was hugging the curves, gaining speed, and passing all the other kids, until I rounded a corner and saw a huge pileup in front of us. I slowed to a stop and was waiting for it to clear when, suddenly, BOOM! I was rammed from behind by a counselor from another camp.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

My vision whited out, I could barely think straight, and my left shoulder and collar bone area immediately started aching. Through my haze, I checked on my passenger who was, thankfully, fine. As the day progressed, I became more confused and nauseous. My head and shoulder continued to throb. I was eventually diagnosed with a concussion, and I had separated my collar bone. After several visits to the orthopedist and many physical therapy appointments, I was back to normal, though that collar bone still protrudes a bit even now.<\/p>\n

When I started my day, I had no idea what disastrous consequences that would occur. Go-karts are marketed as a fun activity for children \u2013 much more simple and safer than driving a real car!<\/a> But in reality, they can cause injuries and even death.<\/p>\n

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Less about me, more about go-karts<\/h2>\n

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) defines a \u201cfun-kart\u201d<\/a> as a motorized vehicle with four wheels intended for private personal recreational use.\u00a0 It\u2019s designed for off-road use on suitable terrain at speeds<\/a> between 12 mph to 40 mph. There is no country-wide standard for fun-karts, though the CPSC publishes a voluntary standard for best practices. However, one must purchase<\/a> this information from them. At the time of this post being published, the cost is $63.<\/p>\n

Why did I suddenly start calling them \u201cfun-karts\u201d you ask? That\u2019s because fun-karts are defined as commercially manufactured, whereas the term \u201cgo-kart\u201d can be used for both commercially-manufactured vehicles as well as homemade, consumer-modified, and consumer-built karts. This means there is no standard \u2013 voluntary or involuntary \u2013 for homemade or home-modified karts. In this article, I will use the word \u201cgo-kart\u201d to address the safety risks of all types of karts.<\/p>\n

Go-kart tracks also do not have a set standard. They can be located inside or outside, and feature variations such as track width, sight lines, and barriers. Plus, track surfaces can heavily influence the safety of a particular course.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Statistics on go-kart injuries<\/h2>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

In 2000, the CPSC published a study regarding go-kart related injuries for 1999 and go-kart-related deaths from 1990 through 1999. Here\u2019s what was discovered:<\/p>\n