What are the Leading Causes of Brain Injury in Children and How Can They be Avoided?
While the average age of a TBI survivor at time of injury is believed to be 22, there are a significant number of persons who sustain a TBI in childhood and adolescence. In fact, TBI is the leading killer and cause of disability in children and young adults. The causes of TBI in children are similar to that of adults. For example, in a recent survey, Mittenberg, Wittner, and Miller (1997) found that the leading causes of TBI in children were being involved in a motor vehicle accident as a passenger (40%), falling (19%), and having been struck by a motor vehicle while walking or bicycling (39%). When you are talking about prevention, obviously the most important preventive measures for children involve automobile safety. As the law states, children must be seated in the rear of the vehicle with their safety belt locked. In addition, children should be taught to follow traffic signals when crossing the street and cycling, and must be taught other bicycle safety strategies, such as the us
