A government-appointed committee in Nova Scotia is recommending the province bulk up road safety efforts to address a major cause of deaths of people 25 years and younger.
This was among the recommendations in the first report of the Child Death Review Committee.
The report was based on a review of 911 deaths of young Nova Scotians between 2009 and 2023.
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Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang told reporters Friday many of the deaths examined in the report were accidental, due in large part to the high number of young people that have died in motor vehicle crashes, which includes ATVs and other recreational vehicles.
Strang says the majority of these accidental deaths were men between the ages of 24 and 25, and that accidental deaths were more likely to happen in rural areas.
The report also recommended expanding suicide and homicide prevention among high-risk groups as well as improving water safety efforts to prevent drownings.
The committee also recommended the government increase “surveillance of harms related to extreme weather events” caused by climate change.
Justice Minister Becky Druhan told reporters Friday government values the insights in the report and is committed to acting on its recommendations.
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