Road Accident Remembrance Day – An Opportunity to Reflect

Road Accident Remembrance Day will take place tomorrow, 3 November 2018. This is a time for us to reflect on the lives affected by road traffic crashes – the injured people themselves, their families, health care staff, first responders and our community.

With the country’s busiest trauma centre, this opportunity to reflect is even more poignant for Canterbury DHB staff across Burwood and Christchurch Hospitals in particular, as they manage with the physical and emotional consequences of road traffic accidents on a daily basis.

Over half of all trauma injuries presenting to Christchurch Hospital are as a result of traffic accidents; whether involving people as drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, cyclists or pedestrians.

Emergency Department Clinical Director David Richards says the Emergency Department is generally where many of the injured, and their families, end up after road traffic accidents.

“Whether the injury is relatively minor or something life-altering, road traffic injuries cause distress and disruption, not just to the injured themselves, but also their families and friends and the health care staff treating them.

“Although a daily occurrence, the dedicated hospital staff are not immune to the impact of road accidents.

“Whether it be a driver of a vehicle suffering life-threatening injuries after a serious crash, a small child knocked over by a bike or an elderly woman injured reversing her car in a supermarket carpark, all of these patients require the care and attention of hospital staff,” says David.

Canterbury DHB extends its sympathies to the families of road accident victims and acknowledge the many hundreds of individuals and families living with the life-long health impacts of road accidents.

Road accidents affect individuals in different ways, and Road Accident Remembrance Day encourages us to reflect on the impacts of traffic crashes and always do our best to drive responsibly and safely.

We hope everyone can use the day to think about how their driving can impact on the lives of others if something goes wrong, so they can avoid being the cause of a serious accident.

ENDS

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