On Thursday morning 29 June 2017, Netcare 911 together with staff from the Netcare Krugersdorp Hospital presented a program known as Trauma Injury Prevention to around 50 children and staff at a nursery school in Krugersdorp.
The aim of the day was get a crucial safety message across to the kids in a fun and interactive manor. The children’s ages ranged from three to six years.
Firstly the little ones were taught how to get out of a car safely and to raise their hands high into the air, the purpose of this is to remind them that there are cars around and that they need to be careful , safe and thoughtful in their actions. It also makes their small bodies more visible to other roads users as well as their parents in the big bakkie’s or high SUV’s etc. The children were encouraged to do this every time they got out of a vehicle where there may be others cars around such as at their school and shopping centre car parks etc. Ideally they should do it every time they are around cars, as accidents even happen at home.
Then they were then taught a little song to remind them how to put on a helmet and fit it correctly: 2 V 1. As in the attached poster, the helmet should be a snug fit and appropriate to the activity and should rest “2” fingers above the eyebrows, the straps should make a “V” shape around the ears and there should be space for “1” finger under the strap beneath the chin. An adult should help the younger ones adjust a new helmet so that it fits properly. Some eggs were even broken as a gentle reminder of how precious and fragile their heads are. The eggs which had “helmets” on did not break when they were dropped.
This is an important lesson for all children especially little ones as thousands of children sustain bicycle related head injuries every year, some of which result in permanent damage or death.
After the fun but serious lesson, they explored the specialised Rescue Unit and the interesting equipment within and of course played with the safety helmets and then the lights and sirens.
Along with the new song that they were taught, the kiddies were also given colouring in books with safety related images to drive the message home.
Trauma Injury Prevention fun and learning day at Krugersdorp nursery school. https://t.co/R4XUkNq7dB @Netcare911_sa #ArriveAlive pic.twitter.com/wmysODr2o9
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) June 30, 2017