Each year, Safe Kids Canada hosts a national campaign known as Safe Kids Week. This week is designated to raise the awareness of child injuries and to coordinate and support local community initiatives.

The British Columbia Injury Research and Prevention Unit (BCIRPU), as a member of the British Columbia Injury Prevention Leadership and Action Network (BCIPLAN), is proud to support Safe Kids Week 2010. May 31st to June 5th is Safe Kids Week, a national annual public education campaign designed to help reduce the frequency and severity of preventable childhood injuries, the leading cause of death and disability among children in Canada.  Safe Kids Week is developed by Safe Kids Canada, with sponsor support from Johnson & Johnson. This year, Safe Kids Week will have a theme of “Got Wheels? Get a Helmet!” , which focuses on the use of a well-fitted, activity-appropriate helmet and safety equipment by children while using a bicycle, skateboard, scooter, or in-line skates.

In 1996, British Columbia was the first province in Canada to require bicyclists of all ages to wear a CSA approved helmet while cycling on public roadways and, since then, bicycle helmet use has increased dramatically.  However, since 2000 in British Columbia, 17 children under the age of 19 have died as a result of a fatal head injury while bicycling, inline skating or skateboarding (BC Coroner).  A properly fitted helmet helps protect the brain from absorbing the force from a crash or fall and decreases the risk of a serious head injury by as much as 85 percent.

Please visit the Safe Kids Canada website for some great resources and information on children’s helmets, the proper fitting of helmets, safety equipment, safe riding practices, and other helpful facts:  http://www.safekidscanada.ca/SKCForPartners/section.asp?s=Safe%2BKids%2BWeek%2B2010&sID=26074

You could also use the following information from the Safe Kids Canada web site:

Safe Kids Week 2010
May 31st - June 5th

Activities with wheels are fun and are good ways to get exercise. But it's important to stay safe so that kids can keep active. Head injuries are the #1 cause of serious injury and death to kids on wheels. A helmet could save your child's life!

Most serious injuries and deaths associated with child cyclists involve collisions with a motor vehicle. The most severe injuries are those involving the head and brain; even seemingly minor head injuries may cause permanent brain damage. Other serious injuries include broken bones, facial injuries and serious skin abrasions that require grafts.

For scootering, skateboarding and in-line skating activities, head injuries are often the most serious type of injury for these wheeled activities, but broken bones are the most common. Children suffer injuries during these wheeled activities because of a combination of factors that most commonly includes inexperience, loss of control, lack of traffic safety skills, high speed, and the tendency to attempt stunts and difficult manoeuvres.

This is why this year we have chosen "Got Wheels? Get a Helmet!" as our theme for Safe Kids Week 2010. Safe Kids Week is the largest annual national child injury prevention awareness campaign in the country, brought to Canadians by Safe Kids Canada and our generous sponsor Johnson and Johnson.

While Canada has come a long way in the development and implementation of helmet standards, practices and laws, there is still a lot more that can be done to keep kids safe. To do your part in promoting helmet use, register for Safe Kids Week 2010 today!

Safe Kids Week Proclamation 2010                                              

“Got Wheel, Get a Helmet!” Factsheet