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.