Injured kids: Broken bones top list

RECOVERY: Sophie Nicholson was injured after being hit by a car while crossing the road with her bike.

A total of 2501 Bay of Plenty children were hospitalised for an injury from 2008 to 2012.

Statistics released by Safekids Aotearoa also showed 97 per cent were due to accidents, 2 per cent were assault, 1 per cent were self inflicted and less than 1 per cent were of undetermined causes.

Fractures made up 46 per cent of the injuries followed by open wounds at 12 per cent.

Of the injuries, 40 per cent occurred at home, 15 per cent at school and 9 per cent occurred on sports arenas, the outdoors and the road.

On Tuesday, Tauranga teen Sophie Nicholson attended her last physio appointment after she was hurt in a cycling accident two months ago.

The 12-year-old was left with bruises and grazes all over her body, a sore neck, and a fat lip after she was hit by a car while crossing the road with her bike.

A breakdown of the statistics showed accidents while carried on a form of land transport was the second most common cause of injury in Bay children aged from 10 to 14, behind falls, which was the most common cause of injury across all ages.

Sophie's mother Erin Nicholson said it was important to take preventative steps to help keep children safe, while also giving them independence.

"It's just making sure you're safe, you're wearing your bright hi-vis vest, using safety crossings - we always make sure Sophie uses the black and white crossings. We've been really strict about that since the accident," she said.

"It's really scary as a mum to let my kids go out on their bikes because I want them to be independent and but I also want them to be safe."