Bell Ringer Open your student workbook and turn to pages 27 and 28. Take a few minutes to complete the survey on both pages.

Unit 2 – Violence and Injury Prevention Lesson 12: Understanding Injury & Risk

Healthy Behavior Outcomes Apply safety rules and procedures to avoid risky behaviors and injury. Avoid safety hazards in the home and community. Recognize and avoid dangerous surroundings.

Lesson Objectives Assess personal risk-taking behaviors. Define unintentional injury. Analyze the relationship between unintentional injuries and using alcohol and other drugs. Describe strategies for preventing and mitigating injury risks related to personal behaviors. Explain the importance of taking personal responsibility for reducing the risk of injury.

How would you define the word risk? Anything that exposes a person to the chance or potential for harm, injury, loss, or other negative outcomes. Some risks can be based on circumstances or things a person can’t change. Other risks are a result of a person’s behavior or choices.

How would you define the word injury?

Summary Injury is defined as harm or damage to the body, usually caused by some outside force. Sometimes injuries can be fatal, in other words result in death. Nonfatal injuries cause damage to the body that does not result in death.

What do you think people mean when they say, “It was an accident”?

Summary People often use the word accident to refer to an unplanned, random event in which there is a negative consequence. It could be that someone is injured, property is damaged or some other loss occurs.

Why do you think that safety experts do not agree with this use of the word accident?

Summary Saying something was an accident is commonly thought to imply that what happened was no one’s fault and could not have been predicted or prevented. In many so-called accidents, the injury could have been prevented if people had made safer choices and taken steps to avoid being hurt or lower the risks they were taking.

When a driver of a car or other vehicle hits something or someone, it is common to say that the person was in an “accident”, but, based on the definition of accident we just talked about, do you think this is accurate? Why would accident not be the best term to use? What might have happened to cause the collision?

Summary If you went back and examined all the choices and things that led up to most “accidents”, you would be able to identify points at which a different choice or action could have resulted in a different outcome or helped the person avoid or lessen the risk of a car crash, or any other event likely to result in injuries.

Are people always responsible for their own injuries? Are they responsible for the risks they choose to take that could put their own or other’s safety in danger? Is taking personal responsibility the same as taking the blame for being at fault for something that happened?

Summary Responsibility can have different interpretations. People cannot always control all of the events that lead up to an injury, but they can take personal responsibility for their own actions and reactions that may have contributed to the situation. Part of becoming an adult is accepting the results and consequences of your actions, including those that can put you at risk of injury.

What about to the friends and family of that person? What are some of the consequences of unintentional injury to the person who is hurt? What about to the friends and family of that person? To society?

Summary Unintentional injuries can cause pain and suffering for the person who is injured. Consequences can range from temporary discomfort to permanent disabilities or life-long medical complications. As the statistics indicate…

Why do you think unintentional injury rates are so high among teens?

Summary Growing older brings more personal freedom, opportunities and responsibilities. When you are younger, the caring adults in your life used their maturity and experience to make decisions for you and help keep you safe. Teens make many more of their own choices and are more exposed to the types of risks that can cause injury.

What are some of the ways your thinking about risks has changed as a result of this lesson?