Conclusion
Unintentional injury presents a major threat to the health and well-being of children and young people. However, there are now evidence based strategies for preventing many types of injuries in childhood. Paediatricians have numerous opportunities for injury prevention as part of their routine work. They should ensure that where possible their activities are evidence-based, informed by local data, and appropriately targeted to those sections of the population at greatest risk. Paediatricians in the past have been champions of child injury prevention – there is still a need for them to act as injury prevention advocates to raise awareness of and stimulate collective action on the causes of childhood injury.