No child should die or be seriously injured in an accident anymore. One way to make prevention more tangible and accessible is to be able to literally attack prevention and break down hurdles: With the first Child Safety Day on June 19th in Vienna and its numerous hands-on stations, we are sending an important signal to Austria step by step to make it childproof
Mag. Christian Schimanofsky, KFV director
Vienna (OTS) – In the Gustav Jäger Park in Vienna, the KFV (Board of Trustees for Road Safety) together with numerous partners organized Child Safety Day for the first time on June 19th. Outside, visitors young and old awaited games, fun and lots of opportunities to participate in learning and trying out safety. At the same time, the Child Safety Summit took place on the premises of the Technical Museum, where experts from the fields of safety and health, among others, worked on solutions for a common goal: to make Austria safer for children.
An average of 118,000 children (0-14 years, 10-year average, KFV IDB-Austria) are injured so seriously in Austria every year that they require hospital treatment. “Being a child in Austria is not yet as safe as possible, therefore not safe enough. There is still a lot to do in terms of security measures at home, but also the design of the infrastructure. Other European countries show that things could be different. Austria lags behind in the midfield here. We must strengthen our prevention measures and awareness-raising in order to further increase the safety of children in Austria,” warns Mag. Christian Schimanofsky, KFV director. To mark these enormous numbers, the KFV organized Child Safety Day.
This was Child Safety Day 2024
At more than 20 hands-on and information stations, visitors young and old had the opportunity to understand dangers and risks in traffic, at home, in sports and in their leisure time and to try out safety measures. Among the numerous program highlights were a first aid course for children, a bicycle and scooter course, the introduction of the HOPPALA app, training on how to properly deal with dogs, self-rescue tips when swimming and much more. The visitors enthusiastically followed the new interpretation of the HELMI song by the Vienna Boys’ Choir and were “on fire” during the fire brigade firefighting training.
The participating organizations included – in addition to the KFV – ASFINAG, Arbeiter Samariterbund, AUVA, Bergrettung, FahrSicherRad, Dog Trainer & Animals Help Life, Mobility Agency Vienna, OkiDoki Face Painting, ÖAMTC, ÖBB, Austrian Water Rescue, PUK – Fire Department Fire Fighting Training, Cycling Lobby, Red Cross & Youth Red Cross, Vienna Traffic Police, Vienna Lines, Vienna Boys’ Choir and Vienna Housing Service. Childhood hero and safety expert HELMI also supported the day.
Every 11th child in Austria has an accident requiring hospitalization (0-14 years)
During the Day of Child Safety Outdoors, a total of over 140 experts worked on solutions and concepts for more child safety in break-out sessions on drowning prevention, online safety, road safety as well as awareness and prevention work on the premises of the Technical Museum. The topics were introduced by keynote speeches and an exciting panel discussion. The Child Safety Summit served as a platform for exchange between people, organizations and institutions whose concerns are safety and accident prevention.
Child-safe Austria?
A survey by the KFV makes it clear that increased awareness work is necessary. The respondents’ awareness of the dangers did not correspond to the actual dangers for children: traffic was perceived by the legal guardians surveyed as the greatest source of danger. However, on a 10-year average, the most common accidents actually occur at home (41%), in leisure time and during sports (36%) and at school (18%). At 5 percent, traffic accidents make up a very small proportion of accidents resulting in injuries to children in Austria, but the severity of the accidents is somewhat higher. The KFV therefore sees an urgent need for action with regard to the perception of danger in the household and leisure areas: the risk of accidents is enormously underestimated in these areas. Measures must therefore be taken to significantly reduce the number of children who need to be treated in hospital after an accident in the future: “No child should die or be seriously injured in an accident anymore. One way to make prevention more tangible and accessible is to be able to literally attack prevention and break down hurdles: With the first Child Safety Day on June 19th in Vienna and its numerous hands-on stations, we are sending an important signal to Austria step by step to make it childproof
“, so Mag. Schimanofsky.
Photos on Child Safety Day, reprinted free of charge
Image rights: KFV/APA Photo Service/Ben Leitner
More pictures in the APA-Fotogalerie
More information about Child Safety Day
Questions & Contact:
Press office KFV (Board of Trustees for Road Safety)
Tel.: 05-77077-1919 I E-Mail: pr@kfv.at I www.kfv.at