DID YOU KNOW ……
PLAYGROUND INJURIES
Each year in Canada, about 2500 children aged 14 and under must stay in the hospital because they are badly hurt from falls on playgrounds. About 4 out of 5 hospitalizations for playground injuries result in broken bones. About 14% are the result of head injuries, while the remaining 5% are for injuries such as dislocations and open wounds. Head injuries are some of the most serious injuries that can occur on the playground.
Playground injuries most often occur in summer (43%). About 1 in 4 playground injuries occurs on home playgrounds. Young children are more likely to get hurt. Swings involve half of such injuries.
Overall, boys are injured more often than girls (63% of males). But boys have only a slightly higher risk for playground injuries (53%).
Children ages 6 to 9 have the highest risk of playground injury, however young children (between ages 1 and 4) are still at risk as they are still developing their balancing and climbing skills.
Most Canadian children, age 6 to 16, ride bicycles. The majority of bicycle injuries involve falls, collisions with stationary objects, and collisions with other bikes or pedestrians resulting from the bicyclist losing control.
Give yourself some Peace of Mind and PROTEK your children or grandchildren.
DID YOU KNOW ……
The number of Canadian children between the ages of 5 and 14 being hospitalized as a result of bicycle injuries is 35.9 per 100,000 population.
DID YOU KNOW ……
Overall, in 2001-2002, bicycle-related injuries were responsible for the hospitalization of 4,520 Canadians, an average of 12 persons per day.
DID YOU KNOW ……
In December 2004, Transport Canada released a comprehensive report on pedestrian fatalities and injuries, covering the 10 years from 1992 to 2001. An average of one pedestrian is killed every day on Canadian roads. Seniors are still the most at risk - pedestrians 65 and over suffered a disproportionate number of deaths and injuries.
DID YOU KNOW ……
According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) playground injuries made up 8,698 of the emergency room visits in Ontario in 2002-2003. Almost half of the injuries (44 percent) occurred during the summer months of June, July and August. About seven percent, including severe fractures and head injuries, were serious enough to require at least one night in hospital.
Source: Safe Kids Canada and Canada Safety Council