Brain Injury Prevention

Injury to the brain can happen in a split second, with symptoms lasting anywhere from a few minutes to a lifetime. Most brain injuries can be prevented by practicing some common prevention and safety techniques.

The Brain Injury Association of America offers the following tips:

• Always wear a bike helmet. Be a good example to your children. Biking incidents most often occur within five blocks of home.
• Brain injuries occur during a fall when the head hits the ground. All skaters, skateboarders, scooter riders, horseback riders, and other extreme sports athletes should wear appropriate helmets.
• Brain injury is the leading cause of death among children hit by cars. Always stop at the curb; wait for the bus at a safe place off of the road; walk facing traffic when there is no sidewalk; wear reflective clothing at night.
• Falls are the number one cause of brain injuries in all age groups. Check playground surfaces- look for loose surfaces including mulch, pea gravel, crushed stone; keep bathroom and kitchen floors dry; secure ladders before climbing; keep stairway well lit; secure throw rugs; remove or secure extension cords that cross walkways in the home.
• Concussions are the most common consequence of brain injury in contact sports. Make sure coaches know correct procedures for grading a possible concussion and have guidelines for removing a child from play.
• Children and adults are less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash when wearing a seatbelt. Children learn from parents, so always buckle up. Virginia has laws regarding safety belt use.
• Know the right car safety seat to use for your growing child. Expand / Collapse

  Child Car Seat Safety Guidelines

  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the following:

  • Infants should ride in rear-facing car safety seats to the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer. At a minimum, children should ride rear-facing until they have reached at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds. When children reach the highest weight or length allowed by the manufacturer of their infant seat, they should continue to ride rear-facing in a convertible seat until one year of age and at least 20 pounds. Never place a rear-facing car safety seat in front of an air bag.
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  • Children who have outgrown their rear-facing seats should ride in forward-facing car safety seats for as long as they fit well (ears below the top of the back of the seat and shoulders below the top harness slots or until they reach the top weight or height allowed for their seats).
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  • Children who have outgrown their car safety seats but are too small to wear seat belts properly should ride in booster seats.
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  • Seat belts fit properly when they can be worn with the lap portion of the belt low and snug across the thighs and with the shoulder portion across the chest and shoulder without cutting across the face and neck while the child is sitting against the vehicle seat back with feet comfortably hanging down.

  Remember that all children age 12 years and younger are safest in the back seat.

• Keep firearms locked up and store bullets separately.
• Know the signs of intimate partner abuse. National Domestic Violence Hotline