Road Safety for Children

More than 260000 children globally die from traffic injuries. They may have been pedestrians, bicyclists, car occupants, motorcycle riders or motorcycle passengers, or passengers on public transport. In some countries, children work on the streets, usually selling merchandise, where they weave in and out of moving traffic. Disabilities and impairments can hinder the progress of children in their early years depriving them of education and social development.

Traditionally, road safety for children has focused on road safety education - with the assumption that children must be taught how to adapt their behaviour. However, when used in isolation education does not deliver permanent reductions in traffic deaths and serious injuries. The systems approach has proved valuable in delivering greater road safety for children.

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Care of the victim

For every person who dies of a traffic accident injury, hundreds more are injured. Providing good support and care to victims is essential. Appropriate services for the injured can prevent fatalities, reduce the amount of short and long-term disabilities and help victims cope with the impact of injury on their lives.

There is a pressing need to strengthen the quality and availability of pre-hospital trauma care throughout the world. Simple measures such as positioning the victim correctly while waiting for emergency services can mean the difference between life and death. There is an equally a pressing need to strengthen the quality and availability of trauma care at hospitals and clinics. Many low-cost improvements could be made to enhance the care of injured persons including human (training and staffing) and physical resources (infrastructure, equipment and supplies).

Apart from the physical trauma, every road incident with injuries has psychological consequences. Psychological support is essential for both the person involved in a road crash and for relatives.


source-gtkp resource centre
www.gtkp.com

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