Raising awareness on National Injury Prevention Day

On Friday, July 5, 2024, York Region will join municipalities and partners across Canada in lighting up major landmarks green to highlight the importance of injury prevention. July 5 marks the eighth National Injury Prevention Day in Canada to raise awareness about the devastating effects of predictable and preventable injuries.

In honour of this important cause, the lights on the clock tower will be green at the York Region Administrative building, located at 17250 Yonge Street, in the Town of Newmarket. 

Quick facts about injury prevention

Injury is the number-one cause of death of Canadians ages one to 44. Preventable injury kills more Canadian children than any disease, and more youth than all other causes combined.

Parachute, Canada’s national charity dedicated to reducing the devastating impact of preventable injuries, is raising awareness of this important health issue by shining a light on injury prevention.

While there have been many achievements in injury prevention, there is still more work to do.

Did you know:

• Every day, 48 Canadians die and 634 are hospitalized because of injuries
• Preventable injury kills more Canadian children than any disease, and more youth than all other causes combined
• 75% of injury-related deaths are from unintentional causes, such as falls, car crashes and poisonings
• Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths, hospitalizations, emergency department visits and disabilities in Canada
• The burden of injury is enormous economically—injury costs the Canadian economy $29.4 billion a year

Interventions to prevent different types of injuries are key to keeping people safe in their homes, workplaces, and communities. York Region Public Health’s injury prevention initiatives, including fall prevention, concussion awareness and road safety, provide the necessary information and tools to the public to prevent serious injuries on the road, at home and at play.  

For more information on York Region Public Health injury prevention initiatives, please visit york.ca/InjuryPrevention and york.ca/HealthyAging