How do you as a cyclist avoid getting hit by cars turning right?

I’m not ready to get off my soapbox yet. I know, I know, I blogged about the issue of wearing helmets on the slopes before. Heck, I just blogged about it a couple of weeks ago. But a couple of weeks ago there wasn’t this interesting U of C study that reportedly claims,

“…wearing a helmet reduces the risk of head injuries in skiers and snowboarders by about 35 per cent.”

Hey, it’s fine if you don’t agree with me that everyone should wear a helmet, but science is now backing up what many other people having been saying for years. Don’t stop reading; I’m not going to go on about the dangers of not wearing a helmet. I think this number speaks for itself.

Now that the numbers are in, what do we do with this information? According to the same article, Safe Kids Canada wants to follow what the Italian’s did before their Winter Games in Torino and adopt a charter for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver that would encourage everyone to wear helmets on the hills.

I challenge anyone to contend with such a charter. After all, it’s non-binding, so really, what do you have to contend with? Declarations like this can be seen as setting an example for people to follow, especially younger folks.

But is this enough? Does an issue as serious as head injuries warrant a more forthright action than a charter?

Is the Olympics the right place to raise awareness about helmet use on ski hills?

I recently befriended a nice fella named Jan. He’s into graphic design and has been known to collect the odd plastic novelty toy. Hailing from the Czech Republic, the 30-year-old came to Vancouver at age 11 and is one of those annoying Europeans whose English is better than many native speakers.

He gave me a questioning look when I asked him about any formal safety education he may have been taught in the Czech Republic. He does remember a once-a-year bomb drill where everyone went to the school basement and tried on gas masks.

Like Natasha who I interviewed for a previous blog, Jan doesn’t remember having to wear a seatbelt when he was in a car with his parents. In fact, he doesn’t remember seatbelts even being in cars.

As for his parents’s direction in the safety department, “They weren’t overhanded (with safety prevention), Jan told me.

“I think they let us explore quite a bit, so the minor stuff like using a knife meant letting us get nicked a few times. This was part of the learning process for us.”

In Canada, he says he learned more about safety from experience than through school, friends, or television.

While riding a bike quickly down a street without a helmet, he was once pulled over by the police and asked why he wasn’t wearing one. Despite the incident, Jan hasn’t invested in a helmet of any kind yet.

“I still bike without a helmet, but its more recreational biking along the sea wall,” the relaxed Jan told me; however, he followed up with, “I know I should wear one.”

Jan has never broken a body part before. This speaks to his conscientious nature but also speaks to his reluctance to not wear a helmet. He told me that if he had ever injured himself riding his bike, skate boarding, or skiing, he might actually put a helmet on.

To get around the possible dangerous of riding a bike in traffic, Jan takes the bus instead. He says he’s seen too many near accidents between bikes and cars to want to ride in traffic. As a pedestrian, he’s vigilant about his safety, but he’s not so sure of others.

“If you’re a pedestrian in Amsterdam, you have to watch out for bikes and cars. There’s definitely a hierarchy in Europe, and pedestrians are at the bottom of it.”

Jan went on to tell me,

“I don’t know if it’s a Canadian or North American phenomenon, but I think overall people here assume that other people will look out for them. I think in Europe they’re more conscious of themselves (in traffic). The boundaries are more established. In Prague, even if you’re walking in a crosswalk, you know the car may not stop for you. Here I see people getting off the bus, and immediately they jump into the street.”

Jan comments made me think about my attitudes about how traffic is supposed to work. I have found myself more than once stepping into traffic relying on the car speeding towards me to stop.

As a pedestrian or cyclist what’s your attitude towards safety in traffic?

Despite the lack of snow on local mountains like Cypress, I’ve received a few e-mails and photos sent from friends’ cell phones bragging about being on the slopes with their skis and snowboards. Myself, I’m itching to feel the cold on my face and the white stuff under my board.

When I was younger, helmets were only common on little squirts snowplowing down bunny hills. About eight years ago, when I made the switch to snowboarding, I, like those fearless tikes, wore a helmet because I was learning the sport. I didn’t want to risk getting that dreaded concussion my friends warned me of due to the fact that I’d likely be falling backwards a lot when I caught an edge. Even if I’m no longer a beginner, when I do board, I still wear a helmet. I really don’t have any reason not to.

Blogging about wearing helmets on the slopes is nothing new, especially on preventable.ca. But when you look at statistics like the ones below, it’s hard to ignore that much needless harm on the hills could be avoided. This is why we've started our latest campaign (see picture) trying to raise awareness about wearing helmets when you're on the slopes

SNOWBOARDING AND SKIING INJURY FACTS

•    Traumatic head injury is the leading cause of death among skiers and snowboarders (Smartrisk, 2009).

•    Helmets have been linked to a 60% reduction in head injuries for skiers and snowboarders (Smartrisk, 2009).

•    Each year, BC Children’s has about 90 visits to the Emergency Department because of snowboard injuries, and  over  50 visits related to downhill skiing (CHIRPP).

•    Each year, there are over 900 skiing and snowboarding injuries, among all ages, that require hospitalization (BCIRPU).

If you’re now a helmet convert and want to pick one up before you shred (or whatever they call it now) then here are some tips:

HELMETS

•    Check for the safety sticker inside: CE/ASTM/SNELL (They are currently in the process of developing CSA certified ski/snowboard helmets).

•    Some helmets are multi-impact and some are single impact. Read the instructions for when to discard your helmet.

•    Helmet should fit, such that one finger fits between the chin and strap and there are 2 fingers distance from the helmet to the brow. Helmet should be snug and comfortable.

•    Only use approved ski/snowboard helmets. Other helmets such as bicycle helmets are designed to take impact differently and offer different areas of protection.

I’ve heard the reasons people give for not wearing helmets on the hills. But what I’d like to know is, if you are a helmet wearer on the slopes, and someone you care for isn’t, do you try to convince them to follow your example?

When you do something long enough, you tend to forget what it was like learning how to do it in the first place. Months ago, when I wrote my first blog for Preventableca, I had a rudimentary understanding of what preventable injuries were and how they could be avoided. After months of blogging about helmets, medications, Sudoku, and Christmas lights, I now feel like the poster boy for preventable injuries.

But a comment made about our most recent campaign on another Vancouver blog got me thinking about our approach to safety and its effect. In December a handful of my fellow Vancouver area bloggers came together to chat about this blog and our campaign about wearing helmets on ski hills. Arguably one of the most popular Vancouver bloggers Miss 604 blogged about our helmet campaign, and one of her followers questioned how effective the message, “You probably won’t need a helmet today” is in trying to raise awareness about head injuries on the slopes.

The Community Against Preventable Injuries responded that,

“We know that most people know how to prevent injuries. The problem is that most people continue to take risks believing that, ‘It won’t happen to me.’”

The Community’s response went on to explain how our approach is to encourage discussion, not tell people what to do. And that, “If we’ve made someone consider their possibly dangerous behaviours for the first time in their life, even if most people don’t immediately change their ways, we’ve made progress in preventing needless injuries in the future.”

This questioning of our methods is part of the dialogue we want to promote on the issue of preventable injuries. It seems to me that dangerous habits are often either not talked about or are simply given lip service.

This got me thinking about how people communicate about preventable injuries in their lives, if at all. Is it parents giving their children the morning mantra, “Look both ways before you cross the street”? Is it discussions around dinner tables about the new electronic device ban in vehicles? Or is it campaigns like our and others that hopefully make people think about what they do?

It’s time to join the discussion. How do you persuade those in your life to be safe? 

 

It can be argued that the term “multiculturalism” has become synonymous with the word “Canada.” When we pair the term with the word “Metro Vancouver,” multiculturalism almost seems redundant. There are people from all over the world living in Vancouver. With so many people bringing their unique histories and backgrounds to one place, there comes different ways of seeing the world, including different priories and opinions.

When it comes to safety, not only is there a difference of attitudes between cultures, there’s a difference in attitudes even between people within and between any given culture. Take Cary (not her real name) for example:

Cary is 27 and came to Canada from Beijing, China, at the age of five. For the most part, I’d say she is a very safety-conscious person. She’s a careful and responsible driver. She doesn’t bike much now, but when she was young, she always wore a helmet when she rode. When she does take medicine, she reads the labels and is careful not to mix pills without double -checking that they’re safe.

Her parents, Cary says, are also safety conscious. But she suggests that people who come here from China have different attitudes when it comes to safety.

 “In China there just aren’t any safety regulations. Even now there just aren’t those kinds of rules. People have their own sense of what it takes to be safe.”

Cary went on to tell me that back home,

 “They’re not used to government control of smaller things like safety. When you’re coming into Canada, there’s no manual that tells you what to do. They learn from reading newspapers and speaking to people.”

When I asked her how people in China determine how they’ll be more safe in their lives, she told me that people determine what’s dangerous by reading and hearing about tragedies in the media or from people around them, not through any formal safety education or awareness campaigns.

From my interview with Cary I learned that she formed her attitudes on safety by combining her parents examples with safety leasons she learned at school. Speaking to Cary made me thing about how Canadian culture itself shapes how safe we are.

One possibly unsafe thing Cary does in her life is ski without a helmet. She learned to ski in Canada, but when I told her that Intrawest ski hills recommend that all skiers on their hills wear a helmet, she told me that she never really thought about it. “I’ve always thought of myself as a low-key recreational skier”, said Cary.

“It’s different when you ski, you usually fall sideways, which isn’t as dangerous.”

All this safety and culture talk has me wondering, are your attitudes on safety shaped by your cultural background, Canadian culture, both, or neither?

Now that the World Junior Hockey Championship is over (sorry to reopen that wound hockey lovers), Canadians can shift their focus back to the NHL.

One player that’s been in the news for not-so-positive reasons this season is Pascal Leclaire. The Ottawa Senator goaltender has recently returned from a month off his skates. In November Leclaire fractured his cheekbone when a puck struck him in the face while he was sitting on the bench during a game. The human puck target may be injured again, but that’s beside the point.

I know that from time to time a player has to take a slug of water from their water bottle. And for a goaltender, that means raising his mask to get hydrated. But Leclair said he was, “…just chit chatting” to his trainer when the puck hit him, suggesting that he had his face exposed for a while.

When I played hockey in my youth, we had to wear cages on our helmets to protect our faces. Sure we opened them up from time to time, but we’d get a harsh reprimand from the coach if we kept it open for much longer than a few seconds. 

Leclaire’s injury was not a common one in professional hockey. However, it could be argued that Leclaire’s injury did more than damage himself and his career temporarily; it set the example that you don’t have to wear protective equipment if you don’t want to.

If professionals don’t wear helmets during a game, why should junior players?

Do you think the attitudes of NHL hockey players towards safety influences how youngsters view their own safety on the ice?

It seemed like only a couple of weeks ago that I said, “I’m just gonna have a chill evening this New Year’s.” Now, with 2010 just hours away, I find myself frantically making a music playlist on my MP3 player and trying to find something striped to wear to the party I’m going to (while blogging at the same time).

I’m rolling out with a group in tow, so that always makes for a logistical headache. We’re all to meet up at my place and then leave for the night together. Some are accompanying me to the striped wingding; some are going to different parties and places to count down the decade.

The dressing up and spending time with friends and family make up the fine time of the night. Where the shine starts to rub off is when the night (let’s hope it’s still night) is finally finished, and it’s time to find your way home.

As many of us know first hand, trying to catch or call for a cab tonight will be like trying to figure out how many women have been involved with Tiger Woods over this the last ten years. So, what a New Year’s reveler to do? For me, it’s going to be busing or walking. Luckily, I don’t live too far from the party, and I’m going to bundle up for the inevitable slow walk home. But what if you’re at a party or event that’s too far to walk home from, and the busses have stopped running before you have?

Here’s the big question: do you drive home? If you’ve been drinking any significant amount of alcohol, it’s not a good idea. So, do you get a ride with someone else? What if everyone you know has been drinking?

Unfortunately the age group that is for sure out partying tonight are known to drink and drive. And according to those of you who did our monthly poll, sixty percent knew the following fact:

Sixteen to twenty-five year-olds have the highest incidence of impaired driving.
--The Community Against Preventable Injuries

Moreover according to MADD, at least eight percent of British Columbians admit to drinking and driving.

If you’re unsure about driving home, there are a lot of options:

• You can arrange for someone sober to pick you up.

• You can stay over wherever you’re partying.

• You can call services like Operation Red Nose, Key Please, or similar services that send someone to take you, your car, or both home at a minimal or no cost.

If these don’t work, here’s a website with some other good ideas for getting home safe tonight.

Whatever you do this evening, I suggest enjoying yourself—but not at the expense of your or anyone else’s health.

I’d like to know how you’re planning on getting home tonight. And if you’re reading this in 2010, I’d like to know if you feel you made the right decision when you left the party.

Happy New Year!

I’ve received a few e-mails and photos sent from friends’ cell phones bragging about being on the slopes with their skis and snowboards this holiday season. Myself, I’m itching to feel the cold on my face and the white stuff under my board before the end of the decade.

When I was younger, helmets were only common on little squirts snowplowing down bunny hills. About eight years ago, when I made the switch to snowboarding, I, like those fearless tikes, wore a helmet because I was learning the sport. I didn’t want to risk getting that dreaded concussion my friends warned me of due to the fact that I’d likely be falling backwards a lot when I caught an edge. Even if I’m no longer a beginner, when I do board, I still wear a helmet. I really don’t have any reason not to.

Blogging about wearing helmets on the slopes is nothing new, especially on preventable.ca. But when you look at statistics like the ones below, it’s hard to ignore that much needless harm on the hills could be avoided. This is why we've started our latest campaign (see picture) trying to raise awareness about wearing helmets when you're on the slopes

SNOWBOARDING AND SKIING INJURY FACTS

•    Traumatic head injury is the leading cause of death among skiers and snowboarders (Smartrisk, 2009).

•    Helmets have been linked to a 60% reduction in head injuries for skiers and snowboarders (Smartrisk, 2009).

•    Each year, BC Children’s has about 90 visits to the Emergency Department because of snowboard injuries, and  over  50 visits related to downhill skiing (CHIRPP).

•    Each year, there are over 900 skiing and snowboarding injuries, among all ages, that require hospitalization (BCIRPU).

If you’re now a helmet convert and want to pick one up before you shred (or whatever they call it now) then here are some tips:

HELMETS

•    Check for the safety sticker inside: CE/ASTM/SNELL (They are currently in the process of developing CSA certified ski/snowboard helmets).

•    Some helmets are multi-impact and some are single impact. Read the instructions for when to discard your helmet.

•    Helmet should fit, such that one finger fits between the chin and strap and there are 2 fingers distance from the helmet to the brow. Helmet should be snug and comfortable.

•    Only use approved ski/snowboard helmets. Other helmets such as bicycle helmets are designed to take impact differently and offer different areas of protection.

I’ve heard the reasons people give for not wearing helmets on the hills. But what I’d like to know is, if you are a helmet wearer on the slopes, and someone you care for isn’t, do you try to convince them to follow your example?

Now that Christmas has past, and I’ve woken from my turkey-induced coma, I’d like to tell you about the event we held last week. An assortment of Vancouver’s most well known bloggers (see list below) took time out of their hectic lives to share their thoughts about the campaign while consuming raw fish and rice. Thanks to Minna Van at The Network Hub for providing the lovely space. And thanks to Miss 604 for allowing me to take her photo (see photo below).

It was an informal evening, and some interesting discussions occurred regarding safety and one’s health. Ian Pike of the BC Injury Research & Prevention Unit was in attendance and provided some startling insight into the cost of health care in Canada.

“Roughly $18 000 is spent every minute in Canada on health expenses related to preventable injuries,”

Pike told the crowd of bloggers startled by the enormity of the sum.

A nimble discussion followed, weighing the value of public service announcements concerning preventable injuries versus the approach of encouraging proactive discussion around injury prevention used by The Community Against Preventable Injuries. Pike mentioned that for safety issues like wearing a helmet on the slopes, “Public health education has limited effect on changing awareness,” and that providing a platform to discuss preventing injury works better than telling people what they should or shouldn’t do.

As I’ve asked in previous blogs, I’d like to know how YOU learned to be safe and prevent injuries? What worked, what didn’t, and why?

List of bloggers who joined us for our Christmas blogger event:

miss604
GusF
TylerIngram
peechie
OnlineStrategy
GDMitchell
TheLeftCoast

Others supporters of Preventable.ca we’d like to mention:

VanCityAllie
Tawcan
KarlWoll