Bike Smart and Walk Smart

The Importance of Children's Safety Programs

Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for children in America. Childhood injuries account for approximately 16 million emergency room visits and 600,000 hospitalizations annually. Based on data gathered by 61 children's hospitals and trauma centers, 20,000 children die as a result of injuries each year, with an additional 30,000 children suffering permanent injury-related disabilities. The costs of childhood injury and disability are staggering: total direct and indirect costs are estimated at $170 billion each year.

Providing opportunities in the both the classroom and the home for training children in safety is critical. This is especially the case because parents tend to overestimate children's knowledge of safe behavior, but provide limited, if any, opportunity for their children to actually practice new behaviors in a safe situation.

When combined, the associated causes for 80% of all serious childhood injuries have to do with mode of transportation. Pedestrian/motor vehicle accidents are the most common cause of death from trauma for children 5-9 years old. These accidents most often occur while the child is walking along, playing in, or crossing the street. Non-fatal bicycle accidents represent one of the most common causes of serious brain injury in children--with more than 138,000 children under the age of 14 sustaining bicycle-related head injuries each year.