Accidents Don't Need to Happen
by Joy Koenig, M.D., M.S.
Board Certified in Preventive Medicine
Originally published on www.ourmaine.com (1999 - 2000)
© Joy Koenig 1999-2008 All Rights Reserved
(Internet links may no longer be operational)
He opened the passenger door, and I practically floated onto the car seat -- my first date! I beamed a smile through the windshield, and watched him go around the front of the car and get in behind the wheel.
As he put the key in the ignition of his family's station wagon, he turned to look at me -- one of those quick flip of the eyes from head to toe. I realized I was holding my breath, waiting for him to tell me how nice I looked. He smiled, and took his hand off the key, leaving the key dangling there in the steering column. He started to reach his hand toward mine, nervously folded in my lap, and my eyes must have reflexively widened.
He stopped and put his hand back on the ignition key. "Um...." he hesitantly started, "Would you mind putting your seat belt on? I don't want to spend the night picking windshield glass out of your face if someone hits us."
I quickly broke eye contact with him, blushed to my hairline, and found the errant seat belt. As I pulled it snugly across my sixteen year old body, I was torn between feeling flattered that he cared about my safety, and feeling hurt that he'd not been thinking about how wonderful I looked.
The former won out, and I've worn a seat belt religiously since that first date. This simple habit has protected my health, if not saved my life, on several occasions over the past 25 years.
Many of us have been raised with the idea that accidental injuries are acts of God or Nature. There are some cases where nothing anyone did could have prevented or changed the unforeseeable outcome. In most cases, though, the injuries we call "accidents" are the predictable result of errors of omission, oversight, carelessness or a lack of knowledge of the risk or the preventive measure.
Usually, there is something we could have done to prevent the situation that led to the injury, or at least reduce the severity of the physical harm.
To help us get past the victim-like thinking that injuries are unavoidable life events, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its terminology from "accidental injury" to "unintentional injury."
I invite you to think through the past week, both at work and at home, and find at least one thing you could have done differently to prevent a burnt finger, banged shin or car horn that blared in your ears.
Safety goes beyond our physical environment to include our behaviors. Did you warm up your muscles before you decide to single-handedly shove the couch across the living room or carry that bookcase upstairs? Were you chatting away on your cell phone while navigating a busy parking lot? Did you wait until the game was over before wiping up the drink you spilled on the kitchen floor?
Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death in the United States for people aged 1-34. The Maine State Bureau of Health reported 429 unintentional deaths among Maine residents in 1998. According to the Maine Bureau of Health, injuries are the leading cause of death and disability among Maine children and youths aged 1-24, accounting for an average of 125 deaths per year.
This majority of unintentional injuries are damaging, not deadly. They are treated in our emergency rooms and doctors' offices (an estimated 31 million ER visits each year in the U.S.), and exact their cost from us by diminishing our quality of life. The resulting chronic pain syndromes, restricted range of motion, and disfiguring scars often interfere with our ability to enjoy our favorite hobbies and sports.
Do you want to stay out of our local emergency rooms and keep your health insurance co-payment in your own pocket? Take a moment to walk through your house or apartment. Find -- and fix! -- at least one thing a week that could lead to an injury.
Tape down that extension cord that travels across the floor. Cut the cords on your mini blinds, if you have a child under 5 living in or visiting your house. Buy a safer extension cord if you have numerous appliances precariously patched into one electrical outlet in your kitchen.
Need ideas of what to look for? Check out some of the web pages below to learn how you can make your home a safer place: The CDC has free on-line "Fact Sheets" for a wide range of unintentional injuries. Each fact sheet reviews the national statistics specific to the type of injury, and contains a section of preventive measures you can implement (http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/cmprfact.htm).
This Australian safety guide covers a wide range of topics from rock fishing to choosing furniture for the new baby's nursery.http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/Injury_Prevention.html
Think First is the Web site of the National Injury Prevention Program (formerly The National Head and Spinal Cord Injury Prevention Program). This award-winning educational web site targets the prevention of unintentional injuries from motor vehicle crashes, falls, sports and recreation incidents, and acts of violence.
Nearly half of all children's unintentional injury-related deaths occur during the summer months. Do your prevention strategies include measures to prevent these top 10 injuries among children?
- Pedestrian Accidents (children hit by motor vehicles)
- Drowning
- Bike Accidents
- Falls from Heights
- Scald Burns
- Flame Burns
- Suicides
- Assaults
- Choking
- Smoke Inhalation
(Source: http://rmstewart.uthscsa.edu/pedi/peditrauma.html)
There are hundreds of small things you can do to make sure your home is safe for you and those you love. Yes, it takes a bit of time and remembering, and some of the ideas may take a little money. It's worth the investment, though, because if you're not healthy and injury-free, you won't be able to keep your children healthy and safe.
Do your best to make sure that any harm that comes your way was unforeseeable and not preventable -- accidental, not unintentional.
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accidents, unintentional injury, injuries, preventing accidental injury, prevention of injuries
Design, Content and Images © Joy Koenig 1999 - 2008 All Rights Reserved. 
