Working 4 you: Summer tubing safety

Working 4 you: Summer tubing safety

SPOKANE, Wash. - With the warm weather finally here, we're able to a lot more outdoor activities, like swimming, boating and tubing down the lake. But doctors are sending out a warning that you need to be careful as soon as you tie that tube to the back of a boat. 

When you tie your tube to the back of a boat, the danger level goes way up. 

According to researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, injuries from tubing with a boat are up 250% over the past 20 years. 

A recent study that spanned nearly two decades found that 83% of those injuries happened during the summer months. they also found that 65 water tubing-related injuries are treated in U.S. hospitals every day during the summer.

The biggest issue is that the rider has no control of the direction or speed of the tube. They also have no control when it comes to colliding with other objects, or other riders. 

The study found the most frequent injuries happened to the head and upper extremities. And the most common ways people are injured are when the person hits the water, or they make contact with another person.

Experts say the best way to stay safe while tubing is to follow basic guidelines. They say to wear a personal flotation device, limit the number of riders to what the manufacturer suggests for that particular tube and make sure the boat driver is following safe boating practices.