IV

107TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 379

Recognizing the efforts and activities of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign

to prevent all unintentional injuries among children, including bicyclerelated traumatic brain injuries.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

APRIL 16, 2002

Mr. ROGERS of Michigan submitted the following concurrent resolution; which

was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Recognizing the efforts and activities of the National SAFE

KIDS Campaign to prevent all unintentional injuries

among children, including bicycle-related traumatic brain

injuries.

Whereas unintentional injury is the number one cause of

death of children under the age of 15;

Whereas in 1999 more than 382,000 children under the age

of 15 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries;

Whereas more than 40 percent of all bicycle-related deaths

are a result of head injuries and approximately threefourths of all bicycle-related head injuries occur among

children under the age of 15;
2

•HCON 379 IH

Whereas every dollar spent on a bicycle helmet saves our Nation $30 in direct medical costs and other costs to society;

Whereas the single most effective safety device available to

reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes is a

helmet;

Whereas each year motor vehicle crashes claim more than

1,700 child passengers and result in an estimated

265,000 injuries;

Whereas child safety seats and safety belts, when used correctly and consistently, are extremely effective in saving

lives and preventing injuries;

Whereas each year more than 575 children under the age of

15 die in residential fires and nearly 40,000 children

under the age of 15 are injured by fires in the home;

Whereas households without working smoke alarms are approximately two and a half times more likely to have a

fire than those with working smoke alarms;

Whereas the chances of dying in a residential fire are reduced

by 50 percent when a smoke alarm is installed in the

home;

Whereas drowning remains the leading cause of unintentional

injury-related death among children under the age of 5;

Whereas approximately 85 percent of boating-related

drownings could be prevented if the victim had been

wearing a personal flotation device (PFD);

Whereas the National SAFE KIDS Campaign promotes

childhood injury prevention by uniting diverse groups into

State and local coalitions, developing innovative educational tools and strategies, initiating legislative
3

•HCON 379 IH

changes, promoting new technology, and raising awareness through the media; and

Whereas the National SAFE KIDS Campaign will launch

SAFE KIDS Week 2002, ‘‘Use Your Head, Wear A Helmet’’, which focuses on the prevention of bicycle-related

traumatic brain injury and also is concerned with the

prevention of all unintentional childhood injuries: Now,

therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That Congress calls upon all United States

3 citizens to recognize the efforts and activities of the Na4 tional SAFE KIDS Campaign to prevent all unintentional

5 injuries among children, including bicycle-related trau6 matic brain injuries.

Æ