National Injury Prevention Day (Children’s Hospital Colorado)

Nov. 18 is National Injury Prevention Day (NIPD). Preventable injuries are the No. 1 leading cause of death for Americans aged 1 to 44 years old. In 2023, nearly 223,000 deaths occurred in the United States due to preventable, unintentional injuries; that’s 95% higher than in 1992. Intentional injury and violence add an additional 73,000 deaths annually that could have been prevented.

Preventable Injuries are just that: preventable. The Three E’s of injury prevention have proven to be effective approaches to increase the adoption of safety practices and reduce rates of injury.

• Education that increases knowledge of safety practices.
• Enforcement such as evidence-based laws and policies.
• Engineering/environmental solutions to safeguard against risk.

We all have a role to play. As we approach NIPD 2026, stop and consider the 3 E’s: What leverage or power do you have within your organization, role or community to move the needle toward an injury-free world for kids?