Helmets key
to reducing
head injuries
By KENNETH JACKSON
Metro Ottawa
Don’t use your brains for
brakes.
That’s the message Ottawa
Public Health used to kick off
Safe Kids Week in the city, in
a bid to stem head injuries
among children.
Whether cycling, skateboarding
or rollerblading, a
helmet reduces the risk of injury
in a crash, Ottawa’s chief
medical officer, Dr. Robert
Cushman, said at a media
event yesterday.
“You can have a serious
head injury just standing up,”
Cushman said. “Helmets can
reduce head injuries up to 80
or 90 per cent. You don’t want
to use your head as brakes.”
Nine-year-old Sammy Van
Dusen learned the importance
of headgear last summer
when he went off a bicycle
trail and fell 15 feet down
a rocky slope.
“I fell off of my bike and
into a ravine but it could have
been much worse if I hadn’t
been wearing my helmet,” the
youngster said.
“I think people should be
smart and wear a helmet. I did,
and it may have saved my life.”
The health unit launched
the 2005 event yesterday at
the Ottawa SK8 Park on Industrial
Avenue.
The event included a video
illustrating the need for helmets
as well as performances
by skateboarders and bikers,
all decked out in protective
gear.
There will be events all
week at Ottawa Children’s
Safety Village at 106 Greenview
Ave., all aimed at protecting
children from preventable
injuries.
“Our kids need to be physically
active but they also need
to take appropriate safety
measures to prevent serious
injuries,” Cushman said.
Helmet should fit well and
be CSA approved, officials said.