ThinkFirst

An estimated 1.7 million people in the United States sustain a brain injury and 12,000 – 20,000 people sustain a spinal cord injury every year. That is one person every 21 seconds. This means that in the short time it has taken you to read these facts, approximately 13 people have suffered a traumatic brain injury.

The common causes of brain and spinal cord injuries are motor vehicle crashes, violence, falls, sports and recreation. 51 percent of incidents resulting in brain injury occur on the weekend. And most brain injuries take place at night.

The ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation and St.Vincent Health have teamed together to help educate kids, youth and teens on brain and spinal cord injury prevention.

Injury Prevention and Safety Tips for KIDS and YOUTH

• Learn to swim. The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is learn to swim.
• Never swim alone and always have a parent or adult with you.
• Keep a phone nearby so that you can call 9-1-1 in an emergency.

• Don’t play or talk loudly while in the car and do not disturb the driver.
• Don’t run into the street or between parked vehicles.
• Don’t enter the DANGER ZONE around a bus. The danger zone is 10 feet around the bus. The bus driver cannot see children in this area.

• Ride single file on the right side of the road, with traffic.
• ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET, even on short rides.
• Look ahead to make sure the ground or pavement is smooth and dry with no obstacles.

• When on the playground, stay clear of swings, seesaws and monkey bars.
• Wait your turn for equipment on rides.
• Look around before swinging a bar or tennis racquet and don’t ever throw a bat or racquet.

• Stop.
• Don’t touch the gun, knife or other weapons.
• Leave the area.
• Call an adult.

Injury Prevention and Safety Tips for TEENS

• 90 percent of diving injuries take place in six feet of water or less.
• Natural bodies of water are the site of 75 percent of diving accidents.
• Never dive in water less than 9 feet deep.
• Enter water feet first the first time to test if an area is safe to dive.
• Watch for undercurrents, changing waves and undertows in a lake or ocean.

• 60 percent of crashes occur on roads with posted speed limits of 40 mph or less.
• 75 percent of motor vehicle crashes occur within 25 miles of home.
• Damaged seat belts are not suitable protection. Look for signs of damage such as fading, fraying, tears or loss of flexibility.
• Wear your safety belt during every ride.
  • Lap belt – should fit snugly and be worn low across the hips and pelvis.
  • Shoulder belt – should fit snugly and cross the chest and collarbone.
  • Seat should be in an upright position.

• Bicycle deaths are more likely to occur in the summer between the hours of 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.
• A bicycle crash is likely to occur in a driveway or on a sidewalk.
• Ride single file and with the flow of traffic, never against it.
• Follow all traffic signs, signals and lane markings.
• Before you enter any street or intersection, check for traffic by looking left-right-left.

• Children younger than 15 account for 85 percent of scooter injuries.
• Males incurred approximately 75 percent of scooter injuries in the year 2000.
• Only one person should be on a skateboard or scooter at a time.
• For skating, practice braking and stopping before you begin.
• Begin skating with a slow five-minute warm-up.
• Skate on the right side, but pass on the left – yelling, “Passing on the left!”

• 50 percent of unintentional shootings occur in the home and 40 percent occur in a friend’s or family member’s household.
• Gun owners can decrease the associated risks by properly locking the unloaded gun and ammunition in separate locations.

Fast Facts

The ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation offers a number of 'Fast Facts' sheets, with safety tips and other information for children and adults.

• Spinal Cord Injury
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Bicycle Safety
• Equestrian Safety
• Firearm Safety
• Motorcycle Safety
• Pedestrian Safety
• Playground Safety
• Roller Sports Safety
• Safety Belts
• Shaken Baby Syndrome
• Water Safety

For more information on injury prevention, visit the ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation at www.thinkfirst.org. The website provides information on how to get involved in your local ThinkFirstchapter and offers resources to download for schools and communities.

For more information on the St.Vincent ThinkFirst chapter, or to schedule a presentation, please contact Karen Terrell at 317.338.2336 or 317.460.9459. You can also send an e-mail to klterrel@stvincent.org.

What Is Distracted Driving?

Distracted Driving Game

Pledge to Protect Your Teen Driver Video

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There are three main types of distraction:

• Visual — taking your eyes off the road
• Manual — taking your hands off the wheel
• Cognitive — taking your mind off what you’re doing

Distracted driving is any non-driving activity a person engages in that has the potential to distract him or her from the primary task of driving and increase the risk of crashing.

While all distractions can endanger drivers’ safety, texting is the most alarming because it involves all three types of distraction.

Other distracting activities include:

• Using a cell phone
• Eating and drinking
• Talking to passengers
• Grooming
• Reading, including maps
• Using a PDA or navigation system
• Watching a video
• Changing the radio station, CD, or Mp3 player

Did You Know?

Driver distraction could present a serious and potentially deadly danger. In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in U.S. roadways and an estimated additional 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that were reported to have involved distracted driving. Distracted driving comes in various forms, such as cell phone use, texting while driving, eating, drinking, talking with passengers, as well as using in-vehicle technologies and portable electronic devices.

Research on distracted driving reveals some surprising facts:

• 20 percent of injury crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving (NHTSA).
• Of those killed in distracted-driving-related crashes, 995 involved reports of a cell phone as a distraction (18% of fatalities in distraction-related crashes) (NHTSA).
• In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in U.S. roadways and an estimated additional 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that were reported to have involved distracted driving (FARS and GES).
• The age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers was the under the 20 year old age group – 16 % of all drivers younger than 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving (NHTSA).
• Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves (Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety).
• Using a cell phone while driving, whether it’s hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit.
• Drivers who use cell phones are four times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves or someone else.
• Nearly 80% of all crashes and 65% of all near-crashes involved driver inattention during the last three seconds before the incident.

10 Tips for Managing Driver Distractions

Distracted drivers pose a deadly risk to everyone on the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that in 2008, the most recent year for which data is available, 5,870 people lost their lives and another 515,000 were injured in police-reported crashes in which one form of distraction was noted on the crash report.¹ Drivers engage in a range of distracting activities.

Here are 10 tips for managing some of the most common distractions.

1. Turn it off. Turn your cell phone off or switch it to silent mode before you get in the car.
2. Spread the word. Set up a special message to tell callers that you are driving and you’ll get back to them as soon as possible, or sign up for a service that offers this.
3. Pull over. If you need to make a call, pull over to a safe area first.
4. Use your passengers. Ask a passenger to make the call for you.
5. X the Text. Don’t ever text and drive, surf the web or read your email while driving. It is dangerous and against the law in most states.
6. Know the law. Familiarize yourself with state and local laws before you get in the car. Some states and localities prohibit the use of hand-held cell phones. GHSA offers a handy chart of state laws on its website: http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/bystate/in.html.
7. Prepare. Review maps and directions before you start to drive. If you need help when you are on the road, ask a passenger to help or pull over to a safe location to review the map/directions again.
8. Secure your pets. Pets can be a big distraction in the car. Always secure your pets properly before you start to drive.
9. Keep the kids safe. Pull over to a safe location to address situations with your children in the car.
10. Focus on the task at hand. Refrain from smoking, eating, drinking, reading and any other activity that takes your mind and eyes off the road.

¹ Traffic Safety Facts. An Examination of Driver Distraction as Recorded in NHTSA Databases, September 2008.

Pledge Forms

• Parent – Teen Driving Agreement (English)
• Parent – Teen Driving Agreement (Spanish)