Many accidents are unavoidable, resulting in unpleasant trips to the emergency rom.
Dr. Leana Wen, a Physician and former Commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department, believes that some accidents could be prevented.
In a bid to help prevent some of these injuries, she is urging people to stop doing these five things for their own safety.
The doctor revealed some actions have bigger ‘potential risks’ than others after there has been an influx of specific injuries in hospitals.
During an interview with CNN, the American professor highlighted the risks of texting while driving and also pointed out other dangerous common behaviors.
The physician, who has seen a lot of accidents in her line of work, also gave a warning about electric scooters, hoverboards and e-bikes.
A recent investigation by Mail uncovered an alarming increase in deaths and severe injuries associated with these powerful motorized vehicles.
Meanwhile taking unknown medications and leaving children unattended around pools, lakes or other bodies of water are some more of her concerns.
Dr Leana Wen, who is a Physician and former Commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department, has urged people to stop doing these five things for their own safety
Electric scooters, e-bikes and hoverboards   Â
In total, 29 people died between 2020 and 2023 in 4,515 e-scooter collisions in the UK. These also caused 4,807 injuries, 1,402 of them serious.
Safety campaigners, including the family of the first pedestrian killed in an e-scooter collision, are calling for legal safeguards on their use, and want police to enforce the rules banning them from pavements.
Speaking to CNNÂ Dr Leana Wen said: ‘Injuries associated with these devices have soared in recent years, and people need to be aware of the potential risks and take steps to reduce harm.’
She said riding one of the above drunk or under the influence of drugs is also not a good idea as it increases the risk of your reaction times slowing and you losing control of the vehicle.Â
Across the UK in 2020, there were 460 collisions involving the vehicles, with 484 people injured and one death.
Since then, incidents have increased dramatically and peaked in 2022 when there were 1,411 collisions, with 1502 injuries and 12 deaths.Â
The Metropolitan Police dealt with 586 incidents between 2020 and last autumn. Merseyside dealt with 76 collisions, including one fatal crash, in the same period.Â
The doctor revealed some behaviours have bigger ‘potential risks’ than others after there has been an influx of injuries in hospitals
Texting while driving
It’s a warning as old as time but still the numbers of people caught using their mobile phones while driving is worrying.Â
Not only is it illegal, but it means your gaze is away from the road, and subsequently you will are far less likely to spot anything that crosses your path.
Dr Wen revealed a major cause of traffic crashes is drivers who are distracted while driving – often using their mobile devices.
She warned that people should not be texting, checking emails or taking videos or pictures.Â
She said: ‘Doing so poses a danger not only to themselves and the occupants in their vehicle but also to others on the road.’
Official figures released by the Home Office show the number of fines issued for using a hand-held device while operating a vehicle has gone up by 10 per cent across England and Wales in a year.
In 2022, the statistics showed that 53 motorists were being caught per day, with 19,655 handed fixed penalty notices – compared with 17,873 in 2020.Â
The Daily Mail’s End The Mobile Madness campaign succeeded in implementing tougher penalties for drivers who recklessly put the lives of others at risk by using their phones.
Drivers caught using their phones face a £200 fixed penalty notice and six points on their licence.  Â
Unsafe social media challenges
Social media challenges can end up going viral on platforms. Notorious examples include those which encourage people to take part in something called ‘chroming’Â – which includes sniffing paint, solvent, aerosol cans, glue, cleaning products, or petrol.
Another is the ‘Blackout’ challenge, where children are encouraged to hold their breath until they pass out.
The doctor warned that many children have ended up in emergency rooms and some have died after taking part in these harmful TikTok trends. Â
One teenage boy overdosed on an allergy drug as part of an online game in 2023.
Thirteen-year-old Jacob Stevens, from Columbus, Ohio, swallowed more than a dozen Benadryl pills as his friends filmed to see what would happen.
His body then began to seize up within minutes. Within hours his organs began to shut down and his brain became unresponsive. Jacobs died after six days on a ventilator.
Don’t take unknown pillsÂ
Dr Wen also warned against taking unknown medications or pills that were not prescribed to you, even if they were given to you by family members or friends.Â
She claimed some medication could be counterfeit and subsequently unsafe and pose a potential risk to your health.Â
She said: ‘If you are obtaining medicines from an unauthorised source, online or otherwise, you have no idea what’s in the medicine.’Â
Dangerous drugs are still being ‘freely marketed’ online despite a series of deaths over the past decade, experts have warned.
Medication bought through online pharmacies have led to the deaths of a number of people in the UK, analysis of coroners’ records found.
Yet despite a number of recommendations designed to clampdown on the supply of prescription and unlicensed drugs over the internet, a lack of regulation means the potentially fatal drugs are still available.
Never leave children unattended near waterÂ
Dr Wen revealed it’s best to always be around children when they are in or near water. Â
She said ensuring a pool is maintained with safety measures in place such as gates and giving children water safety lessons can help reduce the risk of them drowning.Â
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention claims drowning is the ‘number one cause of death among young children’ with around 4,000 unintentional deaths in the US every year.
While in the UK, the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) published its thematic report Deaths of children and young people due to traumatic incidents, which highlighted evidence of an increase in the number of child drowning deaths in England, from 20 in 2020 to 37 in 2022.
