In college, whenever I rode an escalator with one of my best friends, Peggy, she would tell me about how she had been injured on an escalator when she was a little girl. I would always grasp the handrail tighter after hearing her tale.

I’ve lost touch with Peggy, but I still remember her cautionary words whenever I ride an escalator. Now, a recent report suggests that all of us aging baby boomers (and especially women) should do the same.

A study of emergency-room data (ironically conducted by the Department of Pediatrics at Indiana University’s Riley Hospital for Children) shows that the rate of escalator-related injuries among older adults, 65 and up, more than doubled between 1991 and 2005, from 4.9 to 11 per 100,000 riders. Annually, the older population requires an average 2,660 emergency room visits for escalator-related injuries, compared to about 2,000 for children.

Among the elderly, women have more than twice as many injuries as men and the rate of injury increases with age. The major cause of the injuries: a slip, trip or fall. Almost 14 percent of the incidents occurred while people were stepping on or off the escalator, 6 percent when people reported misstepping or losing their balance and 3 percent when clothes, shoes, bags or body parts got caught in the escalator. Injuries due to walking up or down the moving escalator were rarely reported in this study although the authors note that in another study, 60 percent of the escalator-related injuries were caused by a person walking or moving. (In that study, however, there were very few adults 70 or older). 

One of the study’s authors, Joseph O’Neil M.D., says it’s unclear why the injury rate has escalated so sharply in 14 years—whether there are more escalators, more seniors, or both. “My suspicion is that we have more older adults who treasure their independence and are more active in the community," he says. "So there’s a greater risk of exposure and with that greater risk of exposure comes a greater risk of injury.”

The study urges greater public awareness of the risks to older adults riding the escalators, especially when stepping on or off. To minimize the risks, older adults should also avoid walking up or down a moving escalator, carrying large objects, or wearing loose shoes or garments while riding. For those who have difficulty walking or maintaining balance, an elevator is a far better choice.

I think my friend Peggy would agree with that. —Caroline Mayer