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According to the U.S. Surgeon General's office, each year injuries claim the lives of more than 22,000 children between the ages of 0-19.
Injuries cost Americans $180 billion annually.
For each death caused by injury, there are 40 hospitalizations, and over 1,100 emergency room visits.
Next year 1 in 5 children will suffer an injury that will require an emergency room visit.
.Injuries suffered from motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children 0-19.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) estimates that safety belts saved more than 20,000 lives and prevented over a half million moderate to severe injuries from 1983 to 1989.
According to NHSTA, fewer than 40 percent of school-age children buckle up, and only 25 percent of teenagers use seatbelts.
Children between the ages of 10-14 are at greatest risk for a bicycle-related injury.
In small children, about 60 to 80% of drowning incidents occur in swimming pools,.usually located in the back yard of a victim's home.
Since the mid-1980s, some 200 children have died from falling into buckets.
Although 4 out of 5 homes are equipped with smoke detectors, 1/3 don't have a functioning battery.
Every year 5,000 children are scalded by hot water, most often in the bathtub. Another 32,000 children are scalded by other hot substances, most often in the kitchen.
Shaken baby syndrome is a serious form of child abuse that appears most often in infants younger than 6 months of age. Severely shaking a baby can cause serious physical & mental damage.
Corporal punishment is administered between 1 and 2 million times a year in U.S. schools. The AAP calls for a ban on corporal punishment in schools.
Spanking may injure the child and can lead to a cycle of abuse. It also sends a message that aggression is an appropriate response and may teach the child to hit others.
Last created : Thursday, December 28, 1995 - 3:58:50 PM Last Updated 12/23/97
