Injury Prevention

Thousands of children are seen in emergency rooms in the United States and throughout the world annually due to trauma. Trauma and associated injuries remain the most common cause of death in children in the United States. Injuries have been delineated by mechanism (motor vehicle accident, firearm related, drowning, burn) and by intent (self-inflected, unintentional, etc.). The term injury, rather than accident, is purposeful as accidents typically are unavoidable while research has shown that many of these fatalities and underlying injuries are preventable and can be mitigated by evidence-based guidelines and preventive measures. Use of safety belts and car seats have shown dramatic improvement in the survivability of motor vehicle collisions. Similarly helmet regulations protect the cranium and contents in the event of a bicycle, motorcycle, or all-terrain vehicle accident. Recent efforts have focused on firearm safety. These preventive efforts are part of a broader public health effort to ensure the safety of children and adolescents. This chapter will discuss injury prevention and provide examples of specific injury prevention strategies that are currently in place to decrease the risk of injury in children.