Ü More Than 3.5 Million Children Ages 14 and Under Receive Medical Treatment for Sports

Did you know?

ü  More than 3.5 million children ages 14 and under receive medical treatment for sports injuries each year.

ü  21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries among children in the United States are associated with participation in sports and recreational activities

ü  Children ages 5 to 14 account for nearly 40 percent of all sports-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments.

Don’t become a statistic:

Make sure children always wear appropriate safety gear and equipment that fits properly. Protective gear is sport-specific and may include mouth guards, shin pads, helmets, elbow pads, knee pads, safety goggles, etc.

Ensure that children warm up and stretch before playing.

Make sure kids drink adequate liquids prior to, during, and following athletic activities.

For more information go to- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sportssafety.html

Did you know?

ü  Each year, more than 500,000 people in the US are treated in emergency departments, and more than 700 people die as a result of bicycle-related injuries.

ü  Children are at particularly high risk for bicycle-related injuries. In 2001, children 15 years and younger accounted for 59% of all bicycle-related injuries seen in US emergency departments.

Don’t become a statistic:

To reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes by as much as 85 percent, provide properly fitted helmets and insist that children wear them every time they ride a bike, in-line skate, skateboard, or scooter.

Ride with traffic, not against it. Ride as far to the right as possible.

Respect traffic signals. Stop at all stop signs and red lights.

Stop and look left, right and left again before entering a street and use appropriate hand signals.

Look back and yield to traffic coming from behind before turning left at intersections.

Don’t ride when it’s dark. If riding at dusk, dawn or in the evening is unavoidable, wear retroreflective material on clothing or bike, and use lights on the bike.

Cyclists should be restricted to sidewalks and paths until they reach the age of 10.

For more information go to- http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics/safety-resources-by-risk-area/bicycling-and-skating/