Injury prevention week 2020 – let’s be careful out there

Be prepared for the unexpected

Today marks the start of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) “Injury Prevention Week”

Those of us who represent the seriously injured and the bereaved see all too often the devastation and heartbreak that being involved in an accident can bring. No one should be needlessly injured, and initiatives to reduce the number of accidents are always welcome.

The theme of the APIL campaign this year is on road safety, with a focus on pedestrians and particularly children. Some studies show there is a peak of child fatalities and injuries in September and October, coinciding with a return to school. In 2020 there is a real concern that after lockdown with many children having a long period of not going to school, the problem could be worse than ever. Children may simply be out of practice in terms of road safety, or may have missed out on several months of development, and this might be reflected in their road safety skills.

What can be done does depend a lot on the age of the child. For younger children, teaching them the Green Cross Code is something educators recommend.

It is not just teaching though; modelling behaviours is the way most children learn about road safety. When out with children, always stopping without fail at the kerb before crossing, never crossing between parked cars and showing awareness of hazards demonstrates to children the behaviours needed when out and about.

As children get older they can be taught to reflect on bad habits, and also begin to discuss bereavement and the effect of serious injuries, allowing them to reflect on the potential consequences of unsafe behaviour.

At Clarke Willmott we have long been supporters of APIL, many of our personal injury lawyers are members and some hold APIL’s prestigious Brain Injury Specialist accredited status, and we are pleased to support this important initiative in “Injury Prevention Week”.