Management of child injuries in traffic and other accidents: the WHO policy guidelines

Abstract

Children injuries are one of the biggest problems in modern medicine that require vigorous and preventive actions. All kinds of injuries resulting from road accidents are the most common cause of death in children, more common than cancer and birth defects. In the years 1995-2009, there were 113 211 accidents involving 959 children aged 0-14 years in Poland in which 3791 children died and 117 730 were injured. Most fatalities were recorded in children in the age range 7-14 years. The following study presents the main problems of road safety and the nature, causes and consequences of injures in children in Poland and worldwide. It discusses the risks associated with children involved in traffic as well as ways of reducing the number of accidents in children based on the WHO report.

Keywords

• injuries
• children
• accidents