by Janet B. Brooks
Child Advocacy Manager
Spring and summer are always an exciting time of year for families. After spending a lot of time stuck inside, kids and parents can’t wait to get outside. Riding bikes, playing near/in water, and having fun with friends are all summertime activities that families enjoy.
At the hospital we see a dramatic increase in children with injuries as a result of accidents during the summer months. Head injuries, heat exhaustion, near drowning, and unintentional backovers are some of the most common spring and summer injuries.
Consider this. On average, a Utah child is run over in a drive way or parking lot every six days. Between 1998 and 2011, 525 children died as a result of being left alone in a vehicle. Drowning is the second leading cause of death for Utah children under the age of 14. All these tragedies are 100% avoidable.
At Primary Children’s, our Child Advocacy Department has created specific campaigns to address and educate the public on a variety of safety topics. This public outreach is all part of our Hold On to Dear Life® campaign.
Some of the topics that we work hard to educate the community about include:
- Spot the Tot – Preventing Unintentional Backovers
- Never Leave Your Child Alone in Vehicles
- Water – Danger at any Depth
- Helmets are for everyone
- Car Seat Safety information
This month on our blog, we will focus on how you can make it a SAFE KIDS SUMMER. Each week we will focus on the different places you go, and how you can keep your child’s safety in mind. This includes: safety in the home, safety in the yard, and safety on the go.
We look forward to having an important dialogue all month long about your children and how you can keep them safe over the summer.
