'Everyday Superheroes' recruited during Parachute Safe Kids Week to promote safe, active transportation and combat the #1 killer of Canadian children

TORONTO, June 5, 2017 /CNW/ - Young children are among Canada's most vulnerable population when it comes to preventable injuries. Parachute Safe Kids Week, a national awareness campaign which runs from June 5-11, is encouraging kids to act as 'everyday superheroes' to help champion road safety in their neighbourhoods. This year, Parachute Safe Kids Week is focused on active transportation safety: Walk, Bike, Wheel, which includes walking, cycling, skateboarding, scootering, and other wheeled activities.

Each year, approximately 4,700 children are injured due to non-motorized wheeled activities, and another 2,400 children are injured as pedestrians. Parachute wants Canadian families to better understand the importance of active transportation safety to help prevent injuries and save kids lives.

"We want to encourage children to become road safety leaders with their friends, family and in their communities," says Pamela Fuselli, VP, Knowledge Transfer & Stakeholder Relations at Parachute. "Parachute Safe Kids Week can help them learn how to stay active while keeping themselves and their loved ones safe, whether they're travelling to and from school, to the bus stop, or around their neighbourhood."

"Just as kids need to watch for cars and play safe on the road, we adults must avoid distractions and pay close attention to speed when driving to prevent injuries," says Transport Minister, Marc Garneau. "It's important to remember that a car travelling at 50 kilometres per hour can move about six car lengths in just two seconds."

Preventable injury remains the leading cause of death among Canadian children. In fact, every nine hours a child's life is cut short by preventable injury in Canada. For more than two decades, Safe Kids Week has built awareness and educated Canadian families on how to keep their kids safe and active while having fun.

Safe Kids Week is one of several road safety initiatives led by Parachute, including the Parachute Vision Zero Network, which launched in April.  The Parachute Vision Zero Network provides important resources to help achieve the goal of zero deaths or serious injuries on Canadian roads.

You can acknowledge and help celebrate Parachute Safe Kids Week by taking part in a local community event, sharing resources and messaging on social media using #everydaysuperhero, and by donating to Parachute's life saving programs. More information can be found at parachutecanada.org/safekidsweek.

About Parachute
Parachute is a national charity dedicated to reducing the devastating impact of preventable injuries. Injury is the #1 killer of Canadians aged 1 – 44, where one child dies every nine hours. The financial toll is staggering with injury costing the Canadian economy $27B a year. Through education, knowledge and empowerment, Parachute is working to save lives and create an injury-free Canada. For more information, visit us at parachutecanada.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

SOURCE Parachute

Media contact: Andrea Piunno, Parachute, 647-776-5134 (o), 905-999-9215 (c), [email protected]