Stop the Clock on Preventable Injuries With Parachute
Saturday, May 02, 2015
Did you know that roughly 13,000 people die in Canada from preventable injuries? An even more staggering statistic: 1 child dies every 9 hours from injuries that could have been avoided. Now, it goes without saying that parents are very much concerned about the well-being of their children. We establish rules, set boundaries and watch over them whenever they are in our care. But every parent knows that injuries can occur. The yearly 3 million emergency room visits in Canada alone can attest to that.
Sometimes I wish I could put my children in a bubble to make sure they stay safe but that wouldn’t be very practical, now would it? Instead, I make every effort to be a role model for my children, especially when it comes to bicycle safety. What’s one of the first things that comes to mind when you prepare for a family bike ride? A helmet, right? We need to protect our most precious organ from any potential head injuries. But I tell my kids that wearing a helmet is not enough. Before we head out on the road, we make sure that our helmets fit properly. And each spring, we inspect our bikes to make sure the brakes are working and that the bikes are the right size for our children. This year, we had to buy a bigger bike for both my kids because their old ones were just too small. We also add a bell to our bike handles and last year, I purchased a rechargeable LED bike light for when I bike after dusk.
For the most part, our family sticks to routes in our immediate neighbourhood where there isn’t a lot of traffic. I feel it’s a good way to start training the kids to use hand signals and follow the rules of the road. But there are a lot of inclines in our area which makes it a bit of a challenge for my little guy. So sometimes we pack up our bikes in our minivan and either try a casual trail in the woods or head out to Sunnyside Bike Park in downtown Toronto near the Lakeshore. It is a family-friendly off-road cycling park that has a skills trail, pumptracks and, for the more adventurous, a variety of jump lines and wall ride. Of course, there are plenty of other options if off-ride biking is not quite your thing. Just be sure to read Parachute’s 7 Tips for Cycling Safety.
Preventable injuries KILL MORE CANADIAN CHILDREN than any single disease,
and more youth than all
other causes combined.
From May 4 to 10, Parachute invites you to help change the statistics during their annual Safe Kids Week. This year's campaign is aimed at raising awareness about the frequency and severity of preventable injuries among children, particularly those related to cycling and road safety.
Though we teach about bicycle safety and the importance of wearing the proper safety equipment as part of our Health curriculum, I strongly believe that it takes a community effort to instil key messages surrounding this topic. Luckily, Parachute is here to help. They are focussed on building awareness and delivering solutions in communities across our nation. And this year, they are aligning with the United Nations Global Road Safety Week theme of children as vulnerable road users.
Though we teach about bicycle safety and the importance of wearing the proper safety equipment as part of our Health curriculum, I strongly believe that it takes a community effort to instil key messages surrounding this topic. Luckily, Parachute is here to help. They are focussed on building awareness and delivering solutions in communities across our nation. And this year, they are aligning with the United Nations Global Road Safety Week theme of children as vulnerable road users.
In order to support community efforts to raise awareness, Parachute offers event guides and other Safe Kids Week resources. These can be downloaded for free directly from their site and used to help organize activities surrounding cycling and road safety.
With summer just around the corner, now is the time to take action and make a commitment to ride together towards safe cycling and safe roads. Visit parachutecanada.org/safekidsweek to find out more about Safe Kids Week and consider attending a local event in your community or joining in the conversation by using the #SafeKidsWeek hashtag. Together we can help Parachute create an injury-free Canada.
Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Parachute. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.
18 COMMENTS
I have to buy my boys a new bike helmet. I will look for Parachute ones.
ReplyDeleteHey Cheryl! Did you see the comment below from Parachute?
DeleteHey Cheryl! Did you see the comment below from Parachute?
DeleteIll keep an eye out for this brand next time I need to buy a new helmet
ReplyDelete:) Did you see the comment below from Parachute?
DeleteThanks for sharing, I will keep this in mind.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteWow! Thats such a high number. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt's quite the staggering statistic.
DeleteGreat to see you raising awareness!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Caitlin! Prevention is always better than the alternative.
Delete@Cheryl @JaimeeM Great to hear that you are considering replacing your helmets. Parachute isn't a brand however, we are a national injury prevention charity that promotes awareness of injury prevention through campaigns like Safe Kids Week. There are many certifications, you can see some of those here: http://www.parachutecanada.org/downloads/resources/Which_Helmet_For_Which_Activity_English.pdf
ReplyDeleteAnd here's a clickable link: Which Helmet For Which Activity
DeleteThey came into our office to give a lunch and learn presentation. They did such an amazing job of getting the safety message across.
ReplyDeleteWow! So glad to hear that!
DeleteI always worry when I see fast children on bikes without a helmet.
ReplyDeleteMe, too. That's why I stress the importance of wearing a helmet with my own kids as well as my students in the hopes that they will model good bike safety for others.
DeleteThere's so many accidents and injuries that are preventable. Thanks for the information. Will pass it along.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to leave a comment here on Toronto Teacher Mom. Hope you have a great day!