ArticlesCategory: Safety Backgrounder: Top Five Summer Risk Areas For Kids

Safe Kids Worldwide research indicates that the five of the most common causes of children’s accidental injury deaths in summer are:

Drowning: Children’s deaths from drowning increase 89 percent in the summer months
compared to the annual monthly average.

Drowning Facts:

  • Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death among children ages one to 14.
  • The risk of drowning increases more than any other risk area in the summer, compared to the annual monthly average.
  • Children can drown in as little as one inch of water and are therefore at risk of drowning not only in pools, spas, hot tubs and natural bodies of water, but in wading pools, bathtubs, buckets, diaper pails, and toilets.
  • A child can drown in a matter of seconds. Child drownings typically occur when a child is left unattended or during a brief lapse in supervision.
  • Irreversible brain damage occurs after four to six minutes of being submerged.
  • Nearly nine out of 10 fatal drownings occur while a child is being supervised by a parent or caregiver.
  • Most children who drown in swimming pools were last seen in the home, had been missing from sight for less than five minutes and were in the care of one or both parents at the time of the drowning.

 

Drowning Deaths And Injuries:

  • In 2004, 477 children ages 14 and under died as a result of accidental drowning between May and August.
  • In 2004, an estimated 3,702 children ages 14 and under were treated in emergency rooms for accidental drowning and near-drowning. In 2004, there were 2,575 emergency room visits by children aged 14 and under during May and August alone.\

 

Drowning Prevention Tips:
For Parents and Caregivers:

  • Actively supervise your children in and around water.
  • Install four-sided isolation fencing, at least five feet high, equipped with self-closing and self-latching gates, around a home pool or spa.
  • Always have your child wear an appropriately sized life jacket when on a boat, near open bodies of water or when participating in water sports.
  • To avoid drain entanglement and entrapment in pools and spas, install anti-entrapment devices.
  • Begin teaching children to swim after age four.
  • Never allow your child to dive into water less than nine feet deep.
  • Empty all containers (buckets, wading pools, etc.) immediately after use and store out of reach.

 

For Government:

  • States and localities should pass laws requiring four-sided fencing or barriers around all pools and spas.
  • They should also pass laws that require layers of protection against pool or spa drain entrapment (such as anti-entrapment drain covers, safety vacuum release systems and multiple drains).
  • The federal government (Congress and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) should encourage states to address drowning and entrapment issues and to educate pool and spa users about associated risks.
  • The federal government should also, through the regulatory process, ensure that pool and spa environments and product features are properly engineered.
  • Enact state laws that require individuals on board any recreational vessel or boat on state waters to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved Type II, III or V personal flotation device in good condition and of the proper size for each person.
  • Enact state laws that require completion of an educational course before an individual is permitted to operate a boat or personal watercraft.

 

Biking and other wheeled sports injuries: Deaths from biking accidents increase 45
percent in summer months compared to the annual monthly average.

Biking Facts:

  • Head injury is the leading cause of death in bicycle crashes.
  • The single most effective safety device available to reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes is a helmet.
  • A national observational survey found that child riders of all wheeled sports ages five to 14 wore helmets when riding bikes only 33 percent to 50 percent of the time, depending on where they were riding.
  • Children ages 10 to 14 are at greater risk of traumatic brain injury from a bike crash than younger children, most likely because helmet use declines as children age.
  • Bicycle helmets have been shown to reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent and the risk of brain injury by as much as 88 percent.

 

Biking And Other Wheeled Activity Deaths And Injuries:

  • In 2004, an estimated 132 children ages 14 and under died in bicycle crashes in the United States. In 2004, there were 67 deaths from children aged 14 and under between May and August.
  • In 2004, more than 269,051 children ages 14 and under were treated in emergency rooms for bicyclerelated injuries.
  • Nearly half (47 percent) of those hospitalized were diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, and over 144,000 were injuries sustained between May and August.
  • In 2004, more than 46,200 children ages five to 14 were treated in emergency rooms for inline skating and roller-skating injuries.
  • In 2004, more than 43,100 children ages 14 and under were treated in emergency rooms for injuries involving non-powered scooters.
  • In 2004, nearly 60,300 children ages five to 14 were treated in emergency rooms for skateboarding injuries.

 

Biking And Other Wheeled Activity Injury Prevention Tips:
For Parents and Caregivers:

  • Make sure your child wears a helmet and other protective gear every time he or she bikes, skates, skateboards or scooters.
  • Make sure the helmet is fitted properly and worn snugly.
  • Don’t place your child on a bike he or she will “grow into.” Your child’s feet should be able to touch the ground when sitting on the seat.
  • Teach your child the rules of the road including obeying all traffic laws.

 

For Government:

  • States and localities should pass laws that require helmets for all individuals (or at least for children) when participating in wheeled sports.
  • States and localities with existing bike helmet laws should expand their statutes to require helmets for individuals or children when participating in all wheeled sports (such as scooters, skateboards and inline skates).
  • The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should continue to encourage states to adopt state helmet laws.
  • Implement actions to make streets safer for bicyclists, such as putting in place bicycle paths, better bicycle signage and better road surfacing.

 

Falls: Deaths from falls increase 20 percent in summer months compared to the annual
monthly average.
Facts About Falls:

  • Falls are the leading cause of accidental injury among children. Nearly 40 percent of all nonfatal injuries to children are associated with falls.
  • Head injuries are associated with the majority of deaths and severe injuries resulting from falls.
  • Because falls are associated with a child’s curiosity and development of motor skills, children ages 10 and under are at the greatest risk of fall-related death and injury.
  • Toddlers are at risk of falling from windows, and older children tend to suffer falls from playground equipment.

 

Fall-Related Deaths And Injuries:

  • In 2004, 48 children ages 14 and under died from accidental falls in the United States between May and August alone.
  • In 2004, more than 2.3 million children ages 14 and under were treated in emergency rooms for injuries from falls. And in 2004, more than 825,000 ER visits were logged for children aged 14 and under between May and August alone.

 

Prevention Tips:
For Parents and Caregivers:

  • Keep chairs, cribs and other furniture away from windows and install window guards on all windows above the first floor.
  • Don’t allow children to play on balconies, roofs, or near open windows without a window guard or window stop.
  • Actively supervise children when they play on a playground and make sure they use age-appropriate equipment.
  • Playground surfaces should be covered 12 inches deep with shredded rubber, hardwood fiber mulch or fine sand, extending at least six feet in all directions around the equipment. For swings and slides, even more coverage may be needed; follow the recommendations of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Handbook for Public Playground Safety.
  • Make sure kids wear the right protective gear, properly fitted, when practicing and playing team sports.

 

For Government:

  • States should adopt U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) / American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) playground equipment guidelines as state law.
  • The CPSC should regularly revisit its playground equipment guidelines to ensure they properly address emerging play risks from new activities / equipment.
  • States should adopt the CPSC playground equipment guidelines as state law.

 

Motor Vehicle Passenger Injuries: Deaths from motor vehicle passenger injuries increase
20 percent in summer months compared to the annual monthly average.
Motor Vehicle Passenger Injury Facts:

  • Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of accidental death among children ages one to 14 in the United States.
  • Car seats reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants under one year old and by 54 percent for toddlers ages one to four in passenger cars. An estimated 1,700 children’s lives were saved between 1996 and 2002 solely because they were riding in a back seat.
  • Fatal crashes are approximately 42 percent more common in rural settings than urban. Crashes in rural areas tend to be more severe.
  • Twenty-five percent of all crashes occur less than five minutes from the home.

 

Motor Vehicle Passenger Death and Injuries:

  • In 2004, 990 children ages 14 and under died as passengers in motor vehicle crashes in the United States, 380 in the summer months.
  • In 2004, an estimated 224,000 child passengers ages 14 and under were injured in motor vehicle crashes, 77,812 in the summer months.
  • Head and face injuries are the most common injury to children involved in a crash.
  • From 2001-2003, in the United States, an estimated 7,475 children (2,492 per year) ages one to 14 were treated in emergency rooms with injuries after being struck as bicyclists and pedestrians in driveways, parking lots and other off-road settings.

 

Motor Vehicle Passenger Injury Prevention Tips:
For Parents and Caregivers:

  • All children ages 12 and under should be properly restrained in a back seat on every ride.
  • Infants should ride in rear-facing car seats as long as possible, and at least until 12 months old and 20 pounds.
  • Children who weigh between 20 and 40 pounds should be correctly secured in a forward-facing car seat.
  • Children over 40 pounds should be correctly secured in a belt-positioning booster seat or other appropriate child restraint until an adult seat belt fits correctly — at least four feet, nine inches tall and 80 to100 pounds.
  • Drivers should walk all the way around a parked vehicle to check for kids before entering the car and starting the motor. Toys and pets should not be kept near parked cars, where they can attract a child into a driver’s blind spot.

 

For Government:

  • States should pass laws that require all occupants of motor vehicles to be properly restrained, regardless of age or seating position. Children should be specifically required to ride properly restrained in a child safety seat that is appropriate for the child’s age and size.
  • States should pass laws that require primary enforcement in order to allow for a citation to be issued if a police officer simply observes an adult or child riding improperly without a safety belt or a child safety seat.
  • States should pass laws that make it unlawful to leave a child unattended in a motor vehicle
  • The federal government (Congress and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) should continue its incentive grants programs, with appropriate funding levels, in order to encourage states to pass primary enforcement and booster seat laws.

 

Pedestrian injuries: Deaths from pedestrian injuries increase 16 percent in summer months compared to the annual monthly average.
Pedestrian Facts:

  • Pedestrian injury is the second leading cause of accidental death among children ages five to 14.
  • Children are at high risk of pedestrian injuries because they are impulsive and have difficulty judging speed, spatial relations and distance.
  • Children cannot reliably judge speed, spacial relations and distance until they are at least 10 years old.

 

Pedestrian Death And Injuries:

  • In 2004, 230 children ages 14 and under died as a result of accidental pedestrian injuries between May and August in the United States.
  • In 2004, 35,627 children ages 14 and under were treated in emergency rooms for pedestrian injuries.
  • In 2004, 15,410 children were treated in emergency rooms between May and August alone.
  • In 2004, 15 child pedestrians were killed in incidents involving a school bus.

 

Pedestrian Injury Prevention Tips:
For Parents and Caregivers:

  • Children under age 10 should not cross the street alone.
  • Teach children proper pedestrian behavior, such as crossing the street at a corner, using traffic signals or crosswalks whenever possible.
  • Instruct children to look left, right and left again when crossing a street and to continue looking as they cross.
  • Dress children in reflective materials and carry a flashlight at dawn and dusk and in other low-light situations, such as rainy or foggy weather.
  • Children should not play in driveways, streets, parking lots or unfenced yards adjacent to streets.

 

For Government:

  • States and localities should pass laws that require environmental modifications (such as more signage, lights and crosswalks) and traffic calming devices in order to slow vehicle speeds and enable safe walking.
  • States and localities should pass laws that require stricter penalties and increased fines for violators of stop sign and other traffic laws.
  • The federal government (Congress and the Federal Highway Administration) should continue its support for Safe Routes to School, a program designed to make it safer for children to walk or bike to school. Through this initiative, states can fix sidewalks, execute traffic calming measures and speed reduction measures, improve pedestrian and bicycle crossings, and conduct public education public education programs to encourage walking and biking to school.
  • States should establish pedestrian safety components in their state Strategic Highway Safety Plans.

 

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For more information contact:
Jennifer Glickman or Jackie Cooper
Environics Communications
202-296-2002, ext. 115 or 110
jglickman@environicspr.com
jac@ecius-net

Diane Shinn
Safe Kids Worldwide
202-662-4468
dshinn@safekids.org



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