By Stephanie Thurrott
Recent world events may have you feeling especially concerned about your family’s safety. However, the biggest threats to safety are very close to home. According to the National Safety Council, motor vehicle accidents, falls, accidental poisoning, drowning and choking are the leading causes of unintentional death in the United States. Don’t overlook some of the easiest ways to keep your family safe. These 10 tips can help.
1 Buckle up. In the event of a car accident, this simple act can mean the difference between life and death. Every 12 minutes, someone in the United States is killed because of an auto accident. Every 14 seconds, someone suffers a disabling injury. Seat belts save the lives of thousands of people every year.
2 Use child safety seats. Using a child safety seat can reduce the risk for fatal injury by 71 percent in children under age 1. Be sure to install the seat properly — close to 80 percent are not installed correctly. For more information on how to install car seats, visit www.carseat.org.
3 Don’t drink and drive. Consider this: Approximately 40 percent of auto accident deaths involve drinking. In drunk-driving deaths involving children, 64 percent of the children are passengers in the drunk driver’s car. If you will be drinking, designate a nondrinker to drive. Or call a cab.
4 Wear a bike helmet. A head injury often results in irreversible damage to the brain. Wearing a bicycle helmet can cut the risk for head injury by 85 percent. Enforce strict rules with your kids — no helmet, no bike. Set a good example by wearing your own helmet.
5 Focus on falls. More than 50 percent of all falls occur in the home. Children are almost as likely as seniors to be injured in a fall, but you can take steps to help keep both older adults and children safely upright. Keep your home clear of tripping hazards such as electrical cords and toys on the floor. Keep stairs free of clutter and place handrails next to all stairs. Install light switches at the top and bottom of stairs.
Never leave a baby alone on a bed or changing table and use the safety straps on high chairs and strollers. Install gates to prevent access to stairways and balconies. And make sure spindles on staircases are four inches apart or less to prevent an infant’s head from slipping through them.
6 Watch those windows. Screens are designed to keep insects out, not children in. If you install guards that keep children from opening windows more than a few inches, make sure that the guards can be released easily in case of fire. Periodically check your windows to make sure that they’re not painted, nailed or swollen shut.
7 Prevent poisoning. Medicines, poisonous houseplants, cleaning products and pesticides in homes cause thousands of accidental deaths every year. Keep your medications locked away from inquisitive young fingers and always tighten child-
resistant caps properly. Move your cleaning products to cabinets with safety latches. Keep your local poison control center phone number close to the phone. Have syrup of ipecac on hand to induce vomiting in case of poisoning, but dispense it only when a doctor or poison control center staff person recommends it.
8 Be watchful near water. More than 4,000 people drown every year, and children up to age 4 are the most susceptible. Never leave your child alone at a pool or beach or in a bathtub. If you have a swimming pool, fence it in, install self-closing doors leading to it and put toys away from curious eyes when not in use. For added protection, install a cover that prevents access to the water.
9 Keep children from choking. Suffocation is the leading cause of death in the home for children ages 4 and younger. Always put babies to sleep on their backs on a firm mattress, not on a soft cushion, pillow or blanket. Make sure to keep toys with long cords and window-shade pull cords away from small children. Children under 4 can choke on firm, round foods such as popcorn, nuts, grapes and hard candy, so introduce new foods carefully. Also keep small objects that a child could swallow — such as jewelry and tacks — safely out of reach.
10 Be prepared for fire. Smoke detectors and fire extinguishers can help prevent injury and death if a fire breaks out in your home. Test smoke detectors monthly and change the batteries twice a year. Make sure that everyone knows where to meet outside the house and teach children their last name, address and how to call 911 in case of an emergency.
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