In the past, most children who went sledding in the winter snow in Verland used wooden sleds with runners and steering bars  Ten years ago, smooth plastic sleds became popular  they go faster than wooden sleds but are harder to steer and slow
The concern that plastic sleds are more dangerous is clearly borne out by the fact that the number of children injured while sledding was much higher last winter than it was ten years ago
Very few children wear any kind of protective gear, such as helmets, while sledding.