Injury prevention begins with using your head

TORONTO, May 9, 2014 – With spring officially here and the warm weather upon us, children and their parents are excited to be able to get outside. From playing tag and hopscotch at the playground to riding scooters and bikes, kids want be outside, have fun and exercise. However, if children are not wearing the right safety equipment and are not aware of their surroundings, preventable injuries can often occur.

Parachute, a national charity dedicated to preventing injury and saving lives, wants to remind parents that injury prevention begins at home. This means when families are getting their sports equipment on, parents need to make sure it all fits and, if their children are running around a playground, they need to be aware of their surroundings and safety rules.

“The first step in injury prevention is using your head,” says Louise Logan, Parachute’s President and CEO. “Anyone who participates in a recreational activity needs to make sure they are wearing the right equipment and they know the rules of the game.”

Parachute recommends the following tips for outdoor safety:

  • Ensure your children wear a helmet every time they ride.
  • Get the right kind of helmet. Choose a bicycle helmet for cycling, in-line skating and scootering. Skateboarders need a special skateboarding helmet that covers more of the back of their head.
  • Ensure the helmet fits your child. The helmet should rest two finger widths above the eyebrow. The side and chin straps should be snug.
  • People of all ages should wear a helmet when they ride. Remember: you are your child’s best role model.
  • Before using the playground, remove helmets, scarves and drawstrings.
  • Teach your child pedestrian safety.

Head injuries, resulting from kids on bicycles, are the number one cause of serious injuries and can permanently change the way a child walks, talks, plays and thinks. In Canada, preventable injuries kill more children than any single disease. For more information on safety, whether it’s at home, on the playground, at the pool or school, log on to parachutecanada.org.

Parachute is dedicated to preventing injuries and saving lives. A national charity, Parachute officially formed in July 2012, when the former Safe Communities Canada, Safe Kids Canada, SMARTRISK and ThinkFirst Canada joined together to become one leader in injury prevention. Parachute’s injury prevention solutions, knowledge mobilization, public policy, and social awareness efforts are designed to help keep Canadians safe. Parachute’s vision is an injury-free Canada with Canadians living long lives to the fullest. For information, visit us at parachutecanada.org, follow us on Twitter, or join us on Facebook.

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For information:

George James
Parachute
647 776-5125 (w)
416 402-3783 (c)
gjames@parachutecanada.org

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