Safe Kids Canada encourages you to “Put a Lid on It!”
Safe Kids Canada has developed The Vancouver Charter on Skiing Safety, based on the skiing and snowboarding safety Turin Charter, which was approved in the context of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games.
The Charter is not intended to lay down new legal rights. Rather, the aim of the Charter is to promote a safe, healthy and active sporting and recreational culture, and to make its principles visible to the public, citizens and institutions.
The Vancouver Charter has been officially endorsed by Dr. Perry Kendall, B.C. Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Patricia Daly, Chief Medical Health Officer of Vancouver Coastal Health, and Dr. Jack Taunton, Chief Medical Officer of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
All winter activities accounted for over 70,000 unintentional injuries in Canada with nearly 1,400 resulting in partial and permanent disability, according to The Economic Burden of Injury in Canada 2009 report. These serious injuries total $400 million dollars in direct and indirect costs to the health care system, which combined are contributing to the social and economic burden of unintentional injuries.
In Canada, it is estimated that 87.5% of skiing and snowboarding deaths have been caused by a head injury. Traumatic brain injury, which has increased in recent years, has accounted for up to 88% of all fatalities at ski resorts. Children account for 67% of all ski related deaths. Research has demonstrated that ski and snowboard helmets are effective at preventing serious head injuries. It is estimated that nearly 50% of all skiing and snowboarding head injuries could be prevented by simply wearing a helmet.
The Vancouver Charter will be publicly released at the upcoming Put a Lid on It! – Forum on Winter Helmet Safety event scheduled for the afternoon of November 20th, 2009, at the Metropolitan Hotel, Vancouver. Following the Forum, the Charter will also be posted online at www.safekidscanada.ca
