Think First Evidence
The ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation's award-winning, evidence-based programs are aimed at helping children, youth, and teens learn to reduce their risk for injury. Thinkfirst programs educate young people about their personal vulnerability and the importance of making safe choices. The message is 'use your mind to protect your body'. ThinkFirst assists educators in teaching students the consequences of poor choices and the importance of good decision-making.
The Brain Injury Association of South Carolina collaborates with SC ThinkFirst to help decrease the number of new injuries among the younger population with the ThinkFirst curriculum. Please contact BIASC for more information on how to get involved as a VIP or health educator. SC ThinkFirst is our state's chapter of the National Foundation. (803) 731-9823
Information About Brain Injuries
Brain Injury Association of America is an excellent resource on brain injury awareness.
Know the facts:
More kids ages 5 to 14 go to the hospital emergency department with injuries related to biking than any other sport.
Each year, bicycle-related crashes kill about 900 people; about 200 of those killed are children under 15.
The number of people who ride bicycles rose from 66.9 million in 1991 to 80.6 million in 1998.
Bicycle incidents are most likely to occur within five blocks of home.
Almost half of all bicycle crashes occur in driveways and on sidewalks.
Helmets make a difference:
In 1997, 813 bicyclists were killed in crashes, an increase of 7 percent from the previous year. Of these, 97 percent were not wearing helmets.
Medical research shows that 85 percent of bicyclist’s head injuries can be prevented by wearing a bicycle helmet.
About 50 percent of all bicycle riders in the U.S. regularly wear bicycle helmets - a rise from 18 percent in 1991.
Universal use of helmets could prevent one death every day and one brain injury every four minutes.
Half of all bike riders do not wear a helmet regularly, which is the single most effective protection against brain injury.
Having friends or parents who wear bike helmets significantly encourages children to use them.
Award Winning PSA on Helmet Use
We encourage you to Click Here to View an award-winning 30 second public service video on helmet safety produced by BVK McDonald titled "The Bully". This is a 30-second video, and while it was filmed in 2002, the message is still relevant for teens today. Content Warning: This PSA video contains images and dialogue related to bullying and injury/traumatic brain damage to children, which may be difficult for some to watch.