EVERY DAY in New Zealand about a classroom full of children (22) is admitted to hospital because of unintentional injuries or accidents. For young children (birth to 4
years old) most of these injuries happen in the home environment. Media stories have reported injuries with serious or fatal consequences to children: being burned by fire; injured playing in a parked car; swallowing button batteries, high powered magnets and cleaning chemicals; and crushed by large flat screen TVs. 

“Young children are injured more at home because they spend more time there, particularly in winter. This is why keeping a safe home environment where children can grow and learn is important,” said Safekids Aotearoa Director Ann Weaver. 

The United Nations (UN) Global Road Safety Week is 6‐12 May 2013. Safekids Aotearoa and FedEx are asking everyone to help make the week child fatality‐free by doing a ‘Long Short Walk’.  

According to the UN and the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 5,000 pedestrians are killed on the world’s roads each week. Many of those killed are children walking to and from schools. In New Zealand, an average of eight child pedestrians die every year, and a further 107 children are injured severely enough to be hospitalised.  

The announcement today raising the mandatory age for child restraints will protect the most vulnerable members of our community-- children up to seven years old.
16 children a year are killed and 5 a week are hospitalised as a result of injuries they receive as passengers in motor vehicles in New Zealand. Under the current law, children up to the age of five must be placed in a children restraint such as a booster seat. 

The new law will require children up to the age of seven to be placed in a restraint, while those aged between seven and eight have to use one if it is available.

This summer season (November-February) alone, there have been four (4) reported driveway deaths in New Zealand—and unless parents and caregivers of at risk children heed safety messages— more will follow.

“Five (5) children are killed each year on average after being run over by a vehicle driving on a private driveway in New Zealand, and every two weeks a child is hospitalised after suffering serious injuries in the same way. Children at risk are aged between 1 and 3 years old. Sadly parents and close relatives are most often at the wheel,” said Ann Weaver, Director of Safekids Aotearoa.

NO helmet, no bike! This is the safety message Safekids New Zealand wants schools, parents and caregivers to tell their bicycle-riding children as they return to
school this month. 

“Cycling is a healthy activity and is the first mode of transport for many Kiwi children,” said Ann Weaver, Director of Safekids New Zealand. “However, schools and parents must take action by ensuring safety comes first when their children hop on their bikes,” Ms Weaver said.

Summer is an exciting time for Kiwi families. With the cold winter months a fading memory, parents are eager to get the kids out of the house. Summer however is also known as the “Trauma Season” due to the sharp rise in hospital admissions for unintentional injuries or accidents. The season brings with it a number of injury risks, and they include Quad Bike/ATV injuries and Driveway Run Overs. 

National figures gathered by Starship Children’s Health shows that 2 children are killed on average and a further 29 others are hospitalised due to quad bike related injuries each year. In 53% of the cases, children were identified as the drivers of an adult-sized quad bike (over 90cc).

Safekids New Zealand and Consumer Affairs (now part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) are giving life-saving information to parents and caregivers about the potential dangers of swallowing coin lithium batteries. 

Coin lithium batteries, commonly found in singing greeting cards, talking books, key remotes, some TV remotes and other small electronic devices, can lodge in the throats of babies and young children. Once lodged, saliva triggers an electrical current that causes a chemical reaction that can severely burn the oesophagus in as little as two hours. 

Spring and summer is an exciting time for Kiwi families. With the cold winter months a fading memory, parents are eager to get the kids out of the house to enjoy the warmer days—and do some cleaning indoors and out.

Spring and especially summer however is also known as the “Trauma Season” due to the sharp rise in hospital admissions due to unintentional injuries or accidents. The season brings with it a number of injury risks, and one of the most serious is Driveway Run Over injury. 

NO helmet, no bike. This is the safety message Safekids New Zealand wants parents and caregivers to tell their bicycle-riding children.

“Cycling is a healthy activity and is the first mode of transport for many Kiwi children,” said Dr. Nick Baker, Community Paediatrician and chair of the Child & Youth Mortality Review Committee.

“However, parents must take action 

EVERY DAY in New Zealand, an average of 22 children are admitted to hospital because of unintentional injuries or accidents. For young children (birth to 4 years old), most of these injuries happen at home.

Media stories have reported on recent home injuries with serious and fatal consequences: fires caused by kids playing with matches and lighters; poisoning due to ingestion of adult medication; children swallowing button batteries; and kids crushed by heavy appliances. 

Does this make the home a dangerous place? And what can you do to prevent these injuries?