MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
October 17, 2012
Drivers urged to give children the right of way
LONDON, Ontario – Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death among Canadian children and youth, from one to 19 years of age.*
During the fiscal year 2009/2010, over 620 people under the age of 19 were treated in the London Health Sciences Centre Emergency Departments for road injuries. These include vulnerable school-aged children; walking, biking or riding to school. Everyone using Canadian roadways has a role to play concerning safety around school-aged pedestrians, cyclists and school buses. London Health Sciences Centre Trauma Program wants to ensure the safety of everyone sharing our roads. Here are some helpful hints (particularly for school aged children).
Walkers!
1. Always cross at intersections or designated crosswalks
2. If there are no sidewalks…walk facing traffic
3. Be seen… wear bright coloured clothing or reflective strips
4. Pay attention to the traffic...avoid using cell phones or listening to music while crossing the street
Drivers!
1. Reduce your speed in school zones
2. Be aware of school zone crossings and obey the crossing guards
3. Be ready to stop at all times. Make eye contact with children wanting to cross the roads as they do not always notice oncoming traffic
4. Check your blind spots often for cyclists
5. Yield to pedestrians
Bikers!
1. Wear a helmet
2. Obey all traffic signals
3. Stop for school buses when the upper red lights are flashing and the stop arm is out
4. Be seen
More information - www.healthunit.com/roadsafety.aspx
*(CHIRPP, 2009)
About London Health Sciences Centre
London Health Sciences Centre has been in the forefront of medicine in Canada for 137 years and offers the broadest range of specialized clinical services in Ontario. Building on the traditions of its founding hospitals to provide compassionate care in an academic teaching setting, London Health Sciences Centre is home to Children’s Hospital, South Street Hospital, University Hospital, Victoria Hospital, two family medical centres, and two research institutes – Children’s Health Research Institute and Lawson Health Research Institute, a joint research initiative with St. Joseph’s Health Care London. As a leader in medical discovery and health research, London Health Sciences Centre has a history of over 50 international and national firsts and attracts top clinicians and researchers from around the world. As a regional referral centre, London Health Sciences Centre cares for the most medically complex patients including critically injured adults and children in southwestern Ontario and beyond. The hospital’s nearly 15,000 staff, physicians, students and volunteers provide care for more than one million patient visits a year. For more information visit www.lhsc.on.ca
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For media inquiries contact:
Kathy Leblanc
Corporate Communications and Public Relations
London Health Sciences Centre
519-685-8500, ext. 74772
kathy.leblanc@lhsc.on.ca
After-hours assistance:
Call LHSC Switchboard at 519-685-8500 and ask to page the communication consultant on-call
