<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Fun kick-off bike-a-<g class="gr_ gr_26 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="26" data-gr-id="26">thon</g> and helm-a-<g class="gr_ gr_27 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="27" data-gr-id="27">thon</g> at AKUH spreads message </em></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Each year, more than 1 million people die globally due to road traffic injuries (RTIs90% of these occur in low-and-middle-income countries like Pakistan. RTIs affect people of all ages, genders and socio-economic status, regardless of whether they travel in cars, rickshaws, trucks, buses, bikes, or donkey carts. or <g class="gr_ gr_47 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Style multiReplace" id="47" data-gr-id="47">donkey / horse</g> carts. RTIs also impact those walking on the streets – the pedestrians.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Keeping all that in mind the Department of Emergency Medicine, AKU, and the 24/7 Emergency and Acute Care Service Line, AKUH, hosted a kick-off celebratory session, &quot;2018 the Year of Emergency Medicine&quot; on Saturday, February 11, for more than 100 employees. For this, Injury Prevention was used as a theme, and a &#39;bike-a-<g class="gr_ gr_31 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="31" data-gr-id="31">thon</g> &amp; helm-a-<g class="gr_ gr_32 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="32" data-gr-id="32">thon</g>&#39; event was organized. Participants rode in a motorbike rally, advocating for injury prevention by wearing helmets.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The CEO of AKUH, <g class="gr_ gr_28 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation multiReplace" id="28" data-gr-id="28">Mr.</g> Hans Kedzierski and the Chair of Department of Emergency Medicine, Dr Asad Mian showed a great spirit of sportsmanship by donning a helmet on and demonstrating the correct manner of pillion riding (i.e., riding behind on a motorbike with a helmet on).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Almost fifty motorbikes participated in the rally that commenced outside the Emergency Department (ED) of AKUH, made its way to the Medical College roundabout and then back to the ED. The bikers patiently stopped at each zebra-crossing to demonstrate that pedestrians had right of way at those crossings. The &#39;pedestrians&#39; - also participants in the kick-off - clapping and cheering as they symbolically and properly crossed the street.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As the bikers gathered, Dr Munawar Khursheed, Chief of the 24/7 Emergency &amp; Acute Care Service Line, said, &quot;Most motorcycle deaths are a result of head injuries. Wearing a motorcycle helmet correctly can cut the risk of death by almost 40%, and the risk of severe injury by 70%. Wearing a seat-belt reduces the risk of being ejected from a vehicle in case of impact, and suffering serious or fatal injury by 40% to 65%.&quot;</p><p style="text-align: justify;">On the occasion, <g class="gr_ gr_34 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation multiReplace" id="34" data-gr-id="34">Dr.</g> Uzma Rahim Khan, Senior Instructor in the Department, an injury researcher and PhD candidate in the area of injury prevention at Sweden&#39;s Karolinska Institute, quizzed the audience (consisting of both adults and children) on the importance of RTI prevention using simple techniques.  Afterwards,  all participants signed safety pledges pertaining to safely crossing streets, as well as universal usage of helmets and seat belts for themselves, their families and colleagues.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This event was highly successful and concluded with a sumptuous breakfast and tokens of appreciation being distributed among the participants and audience. </p>