Thousands of children are injured in the United States each year by lawnmowers. The American Academy of Pediatrics wants to remind parents to use extra caution when mowing the lawn.

Using a lawn mower is often as routine as bike riding or barbeques during spring and summer months. But often, people find themselves in terrifying situations with these seemingly safe household machines. In fact, 200,000 people – 16,000 of them children – are injured in lawn mower-related accidents each year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports.

However, lawn mowers don’t “attack” on their own. Most injuries-- such as severed fingers and toes, limb amputations, broken bones, burns and eye injuries – are caused by careless use and can be prevented by following a few simple safety tips.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons (ASMS), the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), and the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery (ASRM) have teamed up to prevent injuries and to educate adults and children about the importance of lawn mower safety during National Safety Month, June 2009.

“No parent wants a beautiful summer day to turn into a tragedy for a child. Yet we see the results of children operating lawn mowers in an unsafe manner every year. As pediatricians, it is part of our job to be sure parents and children know how to be safe around these machines,” said AAP president David T. Tayloe, Jr, MD, FAAP.

"In 19 years of practice as a plastic surgeon and microsurgeon, some of the most devastating and disabling injuries I've treated are from lawn mower accidents,” said ASRM President William Zamboni, MD. “It's especially concerning when children are injured since most of these injuries are preventable."

“Power lawn mowers are dangerous adult tools, but many children, and sometimes adults unfortunately, see them as toys,” said ASPS President John Canady, MD. “Lawn mowing can be dangerous to the operator as well as those nearby if proper safety precautions aren’t taken. Physicians of this coalition often repair these heart-wrenching injuries and it’s our duty to help people avoid these accidents and injuries in the first place.”

The AAP, AAOS, ASMA, ASPS and ASRM offer the following tips to help prevent lawn mower-related injuries:

-Children should be at least 12 years old before they operate any lawn mower, and at least 16 years old for a ride-on mower.

-Children should never be passengers on ride-on mowers.

-Always wear sturdy shoes while mowing – not sandals.

-Young children should be at a safe distance from the mowing area.

-Pick up stones, toys and debris first from the lawn to prevent injuries from flying objects.

-Always wear eye and hearing protection.

-Use a mower with a control that stops it from moving forward if the handle is released.

-Never pull backward or mow in reverse unless absolutely necessary – always look for others behind you when you do.

-Start and refuel mowers outdoors – not in a garage. Refuel with the motor turned off and cool.

-Blade settings should be set by an adult only.

-Wait for blades to stop completely before removing the grass catcher, unclogging the discharge chute, or crossing gravel roads. (As a safety feature, some newer models have a blade/brake clutch that stops the blade each time the operator releases the handle.)

Many lawn mower-related injuries require a team of physicians from various specialties – plastic surgery, microsurgery, maxillofacial surgery, pediatrics, and orthopaedics – to properly repair them. Often, patients must endure painful reconstructive operations for months, sometimes years, to restore form and function.