This week is Safe Kids Week (June 5 to 11, 2017), and together with our partners at Parachute, we would like to bring attention to predictable and preventable injuries in children.

This year’s Safe Kids Week is dedicated to promoting safe and active transportation, whether kids are walking, cycling, skateboarding, or engaging in other wheeled activities. Statistics show that on average, every year in BC, 41 pedestrians (18 with major injuries) and 126 cyclists (19 with major injuries) under the age of 15 are injured and hospitalized (BCIRPU iDOT 2016 and BC Trauma Registry).

Between 2005 and 2014, there were 42 children under 15 years of age who died of injuries when walking, cycling, or boarding. These deaths were due to a collision with a motorized vehicle or as a result of severe head injuries associated with a fall from a bike or a board (Report of BC Coroner Services 2016).

The good news is that these injuries are predictable and can be prevented through evidence-based interventions.

Here are a few suggestions:

  1. Teach your child to be a safe pedestrian
  2. Make sure your child wears a proper helmet before biking or boarding
  3. Share the road with child pedestrians, cyclists, and boarders responsibly

PHSA issued a media release on June 6 on Safe Kids Week quoting Dr. Mariana Brussoni.

Visit Parachute Canada’s website to see how you can get involved in Safe Kids Week.

*Please note: This version of this post has an updated data section where the injury statistics and parameters are the same. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.