D. Healthy Living · Healthy Living

Risky Situations: Preventing Serious Injury and Death

D1.2 A1.6 A1.4About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can identify situations that could lead to serious injury or death.
I can describe behaviours that reduce the risk in each situation.
I can explain how hazards, behaviours and the situation together decide how risky something is.

Words to know

hazard
Something that could cause harm, such as deep water, thin ice, traffic or fire.

risk
The chance that harm will happen, and how serious it could be.

risk-reducing behaviour
An action that lowers the chance or seriousness of harm, such as wearing a lifejacket or a helmet.

impaired
Not able to think or react normally because of alcohol, cannabis, other drugs, tiredness or distraction.

personal flotation device (PFD)
A lifejacket or similar device that helps keep a person afloat in water.

carbon monoxide (CO)
A poisonous gas you can't see or smell, made when fuels like gas, wood or propane burn.

A normal day, a serious moment

Most serious injuries don't happen during "extreme" activities. They happen on ordinary days: a quick swim at the cottage, a ride home, a walk across the street while texting, an online dare.

The Grade 8 curriculum asks you to identify situations that could lead to injury or death, and describe behaviours that can help to reduce risk. In Canada, unintentional injuries are a leading cause of death for young people, and most are preventable.

Hazard + behaviour + situation = risk

A hazard alone doesn't decide what happens. Risk goes up or down because of what people do and the situation they're in. A lake is a hazard. Swimming with a buddy near a lifeguard is lower risk. Swimming alone at night after drinking alcohol is very high risk.

Risk depends on the hazard, the behaviour and the situation together.

Situation	Why it can be deadly	Behaviours that reduce risk
Water: swimming, boating, fishing, cottages	Drowning can be fast and silent. Cold water can cause a gasp reflex and loss of strength	Wear a PFD/lifejacket in boats; swim with a buddy where there's a lifeguard; never dive into water unless you know it's deep and clear; never mix water and alcohol or drugs
Ice: ponds, lakes, rivers, snowmobile trails	Ice can be thin even when it looks solid; falling through cold water is very dangerous	Go on ice only once adults say it is safe and has been checked; never on rivers or moving water; go with others; wear a lifejacket or floater suit on lake ice
Roads: walking, cycling, scooters, riding in cars	Collisions with vehicles	Look up from your phone and take out earbuds when crossing; helmets (the law in Ontario for cyclists under 18); bright clothing and lights; seatbelt every ride; never ride with an impaired, distracted or unlicensed driver
Off-road vehicles: ATVs, dirt bikes, snowmobiles	Rollovers and collisions; adult-size machines are too heavy for young riders	Ride only machines sized for your age; training; helmet and gear; no passengers on single-rider machines; adult supervision; never after alcohol or drugs
Home: fire, carbon monoxide, poisons, medications	Fires spread in minutes; CO is invisible and odourless	Working smoke and CO alarms on every level; a home fire escape plan; never use a barbecue or generator indoors; keep medicines in original containers
Dares, "challenges" and choking or fainting games	Some online challenges and any game that cuts off breathing or blood flow can cause brain injury or death	Never do anything that cuts off breathing; think before copying online stunts; say no to dares; tell an adult if you see a dangerous challenge spreading
Substances: alcohol, cannabis, vapes, unknown pills	Poisoning, overdose, impaired judgment leading to other injuries	Don't use; never take pills from friends or unknown sources; call 911 in an emergency

Common situations that can lead to serious injury or death, and ways to lower the risk.

Ontario facts to know

Cyclists under 18 must wear an approved bicycle helmet in Ontario.
In Ontario, the legal age to buy alcohol, cannabis, tobacco and vaping products is 19.
Ontario law requires carbon monoxide alarms in homes that have a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage, and smoke alarms on every storey.
Canada's Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act encourages people to call 911 during an overdose. It protects the caller and the person overdosing from charges for simple drug possession.

Ontario law: a smoke alarm on every storey and outside sleeping areas, and a CO alarm near sleeping areas in homes with a fuel-burning appliance, fireplace or attached garage. Plan two ways out and a meeting place outside. (Simple diagram, not to scale.)

Thinking traps

Young people sometimes think "it won't happen to me" or "I'm a strong swimmer". Overconfidence, peer pressure, being in a hurry, showing off, and impairment are the thinking traps behind many injuries. Your brain's planning and judgment areas are still developing until about your mid-twenties, so it helps to decide your safety rules ahead of time, when you're calm.

Worked example

Let's analyse a cottage day

Four friends at a cottage want to take a canoe across the lake at sunset to a party. There are three lifejackets in the shed. One friend has been drinking.

Hazards: cold, deep water; darkness coming.
Behaviours: only three lifejackets for four people; one person impaired.
Situation: sunset (hard to see, hard to be seen), crossing open water, no adult knows the plan.
Risk: high. A capsized canoe in the dark with someone impaired and someone without a lifejacket could lead to drowning.
Lower the risk: don't go; or go only in daylight, everyone in a lifejacket, no one impaired, and tell an adult the plan and when you'll be back.

This is a high-risk situation. The safest choice is to not cross at night. Risk-reducing behaviours: lifejackets for everyone, no alcohol, daylight, and an adult who knows the plan.

Hands-on activity

Home safety scan

You need: paper, a pencil, and your grown-up.

Walk through your home with your grown-up. Find the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. Ask your grown-up to press the test button (it's loud!).
Check: is there a fire escape plan with two ways out of each room and a meeting place outside?
Look at where medicines and cleaning products are kept. Are they out of reach of young children? (Don't open or mix any cleaning products.)
Check helmets and lifejackets (if you have them): do they fit, and are they in good condition?
Write three things that are safe and one thing to improve, and agree on who will fix it.

What to look for: an honest list and one action you will follow through on. This is critical thinking in real life (A1.6).

Your turn

What is the difference between a hazard and a risk?

Name two behaviours that reduce the risk of drowning.

In Ontario, who must wear a bicycle helmet by law?

Why is carbon monoxide so dangerous?

Your older cousin offers you a ride, but you can smell alcohol. What do you do?

Why should you never play a choking or fainting "game"?

More practice: warm-up

Hazard or behaviour: thin ice.

Hazard or behaviour: crossing the street while texting.

What should everyone wear in a canoe?

What is the legal age to buy alcohol in Ontario?

What number do you call in an emergency?

More practice: on your own

Explain why an adult-size ATV is dangerous for a 13-year-old.

Give two reasons why water and alcohol are a dangerous mix.

Lucas says, "I'm a great swimmer, so I don't need a lifejacket in the boat." Respond.

An online video dares people to jump from a roof into snow. List three questions to ask before copying any challenge.

Why does deciding your safety rules ahead of time help?

Challenge

For a snowmobile trip on a frozen lake, identify one hazard, one risky behaviour and one situation factor, then suggest a risk-reducing behaviour for each.

Explain why the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act exists and how it could save a life.

A friend group's "tradition" is jumping off a bridge into the river every summer. Use hazard + behaviour + situation to explain the risk, and write what you'd say to the group.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which is a behaviour that reduces risk?

Carbon monoxide is dangerous mainly because...

What should you do if your ride home is impaired?

When is it safe to walk on a frozen pond?

In Ontario, bicycle helmets are required by law for...

Which thinking trap leads to many injuries?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: This lesson covers the Grade 8 expectation to identify situations that could lead to injury or death, and describe behaviours that can help to reduce risk (D1.2). It builds critical thinking (A1.6) and communication with peers (A1.4).

How to help at home:

Do the home safety scan together and test alarms. Make or review a fire escape plan.
Set family rules before cottage, boating, ATV or snowmobile season.
Offer a "no questions asked" ride: your child can call you any time they feel unsafe, and you'll pick them up first and talk later.
Talk about online challenges and dares, and ask what your child has seen.

Common difficulties: confusing hazards with behaviours; thinking strong swimmers don't need lifejackets; believing "it won't happen to me". Safety: testing alarms is loud; don't mix or open cleaning products during the scan; ice is only for when adults say it's safe.