Injury Prevention Programs

Stay Informed

We offer and support expert-led programs that prevent injuries through collaborative efforts between various organizations in San Diego County and UC San Diego experts at the Trauma Research & Education Foundation and Injury Epidemiology, Prevention & Research Center. In addition, UC San Diego's Training, Research and Education for Driving Safety (TREDS) program conducts research on driver and pedestrian safety.

Learn How to Keep Your Family Safe

• Fall prevention
• Driver safety
• Pedestrian safety
• Gun safety
• Burn prevention

• Watch video about blood alcohol content and driving.

Pedestrian Safety

UC San Diego Health is working with the City of San Diego's Vision Zero pedestrian safety committee, providing data to support changes to make streets and sidewalks safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorized vehicles. Here are some tips for pedestrians:

• Cross in marked crosswalks and follow pedestrian signals.
• Make eye contact with drivers to be sure they see you.
• Put the phone down — don't be distracted.
• Be seen — wear reflective clothing when walking at night.

Gun Safety

Many gun deaths and injuries can be prevented. Here are some tips:

• Always assume a gun is loaded.
• Store firearms safely.
• Keep guns away from those at risk of hurting themselves or others.
• Read a guide on protecting you and those around you:
• Gun Safety and Your Health (English)
• Seguridad con armas de fuego, y su salud (Spanish)

Burn Prevention

Each year, approximately 4,500 people die from a burn-related injury. The collaborative efforts of the UC San Diego Health Regional Burn Center, the Burn Institute and San Diego County provide burn prevention education and burn survivor events.

Effective Strategies for Trauma Prevention

We can work together through education, research and community outreach to improve and coordinate injury prevention efforts to prevent them from happening in the first place. Our Level 1 Trauma Center provides outstanding and effective patient care, but we envision prevention as the cure for traumatic injury and death. We're taking action with these evidence-based strategies:

• Through trusted partnerships with other hospitals, universities, police and fire departments, and local nonprofit agencies. This proactive approach allows us to share and combine expertise and research findings as well as share prevention initiatives with those at the highest risk for traumatic injury. Our partners include the San Diego County Fall Prevention Task Force, the City of San Diego Vision Zero program, the Burn Institute and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
• Through research and knowledge gained in academic medicine. Research shows that implementation of best-practice programs can reduce traumatic injuries and death. We apply the knowledge we gain through academic medicine to create highly effective injury-prevention strategies. Learn more about our efforts:
  • Clinical research in trauma care
  • Basic science studies to improve healing
  • Research on driver and pedestrian safety
  • Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, Burns and Acute Care Surgery
• Through outreach to the community with programs such as Stop The Bleed, the hands-on bleeding control training for the public from the American College of Surgeons, to save lives that could otherwise be lost due to preventable injury.