The
Sentinel –
Making Utah a Safer Place for
Kids
Select an article below, or download the
entire issue:
§
2001 Summer Safety
Seat-A-Thon
§
Belt, Buckle and
Boost
§
Ipecac Syrup – A Household
Must-Have
§
Water, Water
Everywhere
§
Warm Weather
Warnings
§
Teen Drivers Face New
Restrictions
§
Going Camping? Get a
Clue!
§
Make Your Home a Safe
Haven
THE SENTINEL –
SPRING 2001
2001 Summer Safety
Seat-A-Thon
In
observance of National SAFE KIDS Week May 5-12, the
Utah SAFE KIDS Coalition wants to inspect your car seat! As part of this year’s
events, coalition members and volunteers are traveling across Utah
in a marathon effort to check as many car seats as possible in one
week. “We’re actually
going to attempt to set a world record with this,” said coalition
co-chair Cal Cazier.
“We know that having seats installed properly is a big step
in keeping our kids safe on the
road.”
The coalition will get help from its
friends for this effort, including AAA Utah, FOX 13, Clear Channel,
State Farm Insurance, and the Blitzz pro soccer team. Players will accompany
coalition members as they travel from Logan to St. George over the
course of SAFE KIDS Week.
Certified car seat checkers will be available to check
existing seats if parents aren’t sure they’re properly
installed. “This
project is very dear to all of us on the coalition,” said Rhonda
Parker of the Utah Highway Safety Office. “We see too many kids
injured and killed who could have been saved if they’d just been in
the proper restraint,” she said. “We know this effort will
save lives.”
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THE
SENTINEL – SPRING 2001
Belt, Buckle and
Boost
Learn the Three Bs of Car Seat
Safety
By Janet
Brooks, Utah SAFE KIDS
Coalition Co-chair
During
the past decade, more than
90,000 children died in motor vehicle crashes on our nation’s
highways. In Utah, from
January 1997 through December 1998, 129 children died in crashes in
Utah. What a senseless
preventable waste of
life!
On February 8, the National SAFE KIDS
Campaign® released a state-by-state report card regarding child
passenger safety laws.
Utah did well, ranking 14th in the nation. But the state also received
a “D” grade due to our current restraint laws. Utah’s law requires all
children under age five to be in an approved child safety seat. As well, all vehicle
occupants 18 years and younger must be restrained in a seat belt or
child safety seat.
Although statistics show some improvement
in the use of restraints for children up to age four, research shows
fewer than ten percent of parents are using booster seats for their
children ages four through eight. At these ages, children are
still quite small and are not protected by adult safety
belts. In fact,
adult seat belts can cause severe and even fatal injuries to
children weighing between 40 to 80 pounds. “Most children this size
simply slide out from under adult belts,” says pediatrician Tom
Metcalf, M.D., “and are left to fly around the car or out a
window.” Parents must
be aware of the four steps proven to keep children
safer:
1.
Use
rear-facing seats for children from birth to at least 20 pounds and
1 year of age.
2.
Use
forward-facing seats for children over 20 pounds and at least 1 year
old to about 40 pounds and 4 years
old.
3.
Use
belt-positioning booster seats for children from about 40 to 80
pounds and up to 4 feet 9 inches
tall.
4.
Use seat belts
for older children large enough for the belt to fit correctly: at least 4 feet 9 inches
tall and about 80 pounds.
The Utah SAFE KIDS Coalition recognizes
that laws are only the beginning of a process to protect all
children. Over the next
five years our coalition will be working on regulations and
legislation that will help bring Utah’s death and injury rate
down. Among other
things we will:
§
Work to better educate parents
about the need for booster seats for older
children
§
Stress the need to change
Utah’s law allowing drivers to transport children without restraints
if all other seating positions are occupied by restrained
passengers
§
Seek additional funding for
public education programs
§
Continue to improve access to
loaner and giveaway programs
For more information about the safe
transportation of children, please call (801) 588-CARS
(2277).
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THE SENTINEL – SPRING
2001
Ipecac Syrup – A Household
Must-Have
But Don’t Use it Without First Calling
for Help
Ipecac
syrup is used to cause vomiting in some cases
of poison exposures, and is the safest and most effective way to
induce vomiting at home.
However, there are certain chemicals that can cause damage to
a child’s mouth and esophagus if they are vomited back up. Also, if you are trying to
make a child regurgitate a swallowed object, remember that the child
may choke on that item when is comes back up. And keep in mind that
sticking a finger down a child’s throat is not effective and may
be harmful.
For those reasons, it’s important you
call your doctor or the Poison Control Center before
administering ipecac syrup or any other foods or liquids if you
think your child has swallowed something harmful. It will be up to the experts
at Poison Control or your doctor’s office to determine whether
inducing vomiting is recommended based on the type of poison
exposure.
Ipecac syrup can be purchased in a
1-ounce bottle without a prescription at any pharmacy. Keep one bottle of ipecac
syrup on hand for each child under 6 years of age in your
home.
Remember – ipecac syrup should be used
only on the advice of the Poison Control Center or a
physician.
Source: Poison Smart
Utah, Fall
2000
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THE
SENTINEL – SPRING 2001
Water, Water
Everywhere
Utah
Lakes and Streams
Invite Danger
By Bob
Jeppesen, Salt
Lake
County SAFE KIDS
Coalition
So, parents, the kids will be out of
school for the summer soon.
What are you going to do with them? Chances are you’ll make
several trips to rivers, lakes and pools in search of sunshine and
fun. The Salt Lake
County SAFE KIDS Coalition wants to remind parents that ensuring
safety is a critical first step for a fun day. Despite a 34 percent decline
from 1987 to 1998, drowning is still the second leading cause of
unintentional injury-related deaths of children age 14 and
under. Knowledge is a
powerful tool to combat these
tragedies.
All parents
should:
§
Enroll their children in an
approved swimming course.
Parents should also know how to
swim.
§
Always watch your kids, even
in a shallow wading pool.
A child can drown in less than an inch of
water.
§
Pay
attention when near open water. Be aware of undercurrents,
changing waves and undertows when at an ocean, river or
lake.
§
Adults and kids over 13 should
learn CPR.
§
Inspect and maintain
watercraft and gear once a year.
§
Never let children dive unless
they’ve learned proper technique, an adult is present (and uses
common sense), and the depth of the water is greater than 9 feet,
and never dive from cliffs unless you know what’s under the
surface.
§
Always wear an approved
personal flotation device (PFD) around oceans, rivers, lakes or when
participating in water sports.
§
Always swim with a buddy. Swimming alone is very
dangerous.
§
Exercise caution if swimming
in extremely cold water.
§
Know how to use rescue
equipment and learn emergency
procedures.
Remember SAFE KIDS Are No
Accident!
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THE
SENTINEL – SPRING 2001
Warm Weather
Warnings
Some Tips from
Your Utah
Poison
Control
Center
Spring’s
rising temperatures bring a whole new set of dangers for your
children. Be aware and
ready to react with these helpful
hints:
Outside
§
Know the names of the plants
in your home and yard.
Label all plants.
If you can’t identify one, ask a
nursery.
§
Keep poisonous plants out of
reach of kids and pets.
Call the Poison Control Center for a list of poisonous
plants.
§
Teach your children not to eat
mushrooms, leaves or berries growing in the
yard.
§
Keep children and pets away
from plants that have been recently sprayed with weed killer, bug
killer or fertilizer.
Chemicals on the lawn are especially dangerous to small
children who are crawling.
Pesticides can be absorbed through the skin and can be
extremely toxic.
Household &
Chemical
Products
§
Store all products in their
original containers. DO
NOT use food containers such as milk jugs or soda bottles to store
household and chemical products, either in the house or in the
garage.
§
All
medicines and household cleaning products should be stored in locked
cabinets, out of the reach and sight of
children.
§
Be
aware that “childproof” caps are not really CHILD PROOF. They are only child
resistant and, given enough time, children will manage to open the
container.
Spiders &
Snakes
§
Vacuum around doorways and
windowsills to remove spiders and their
webs.
§
When hiking, wear long pants
and shoes that protect the
ankles.
§
Look carefully where you are
walking and placing your hands.
§
When camping, always use a
flashlight after dark for activities like gathering
firewood.
§
Choose campsites away from
woodpiles, cave entrances, swampy areas or thick
underbrush.
If Poisoning
Occurs
§
Remain
calm!
§
Do
not wait for the child to look or feel sick! Call the Utah Poison Control
Center at 581-2151 or (800) 456-7707 from outside the Salt Lake
Valley, or your family physician. There is no charge for
calling the Poison Control
Center.
§
Do
no administer ipecac syrup unless instructed by the Poison Control
Center or your physician (see
article).
Last year, 60% of the more than 37,000
human poison exposure calls to the Utah Poison Control Center
involved children younger than six. For educational pamphlets
and emergency telephone stickers, call
585-7187.
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THE
SENTINEL – SPRING 2001
Teen Drivers Face New
Restrictions
By Rolayne Fairclough, AAA
Utah
If
you’re among the thousands of Utah parents who worry
when their teens get a driver’s license, the Utah legislature has
done something to lessen your anxiety. Lawmakers passed the
“passenger limitation” component of Utah’s Graduated Driver
Licensing law which states that a teen may not carry friends as
passengers in a vehicle for the first six months of licensure. They may drive alone, with
family members, or with friends if there is an adult licensed driver
in the front seat.
Exceptions to this include driving to and from school, school
activities, church activities and agricultural work IF they have a
not of approval from a parent or
guardian.
It’s well known that young drivers have
the highest number of crashes, injuries and deaths of anyone on the
road. And the majority
of those crashes occur when teens are driving with
teens.
§
Crashes – In
Utah a teen driver crash occurs
every half-hour.
§
Speeding – 15- to 17-year-old drivers
are 2.5 times more likely to be cited for speeding when traveling
with passengers than when traveling
alone.
§
Fatalities – 15- to 17-year-old drivers
are 5 times more likely to have a fatal crash when traveling with
passengers than when traveling
alone.
The addition of the passenger limitation
component is critical because it gives young drivers the time and
experience to develop their driving skills before having to cope
with the distractions that occur when they carry passengers –
especially teenage passengers.
AAA Utah and the Utah SAFE KIDS Coalition
urge parents to take the lead in making their children obey the
laws. The consequences
of crashes can be life-changing. It’s up to you to protect
your children from a needless
tragedy.
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THE SENTINEL – SPRING
2001
Going Camping? Get a
Clue!
Summer
is a fun time to camp and spend
time outdoors with the family.
But camping also has the potential for danger. We can reduce unsafe
situations by “clueing in” to some simple guidelines. First, always carrying the
following items:
§
First aid
kit
§
Whistle (for making noise when
lost)
§
Waterproof
matches
§
Emergency
blanket
§
Compass
§
Candy bar/emergency
snacks
§
Rope
§
Flashlight
§
Pocketknife
This equipment will help you survive in
most situations. Other
tips include staying warm and drinking lots of water. But be careful of drinking
water from streams or rivers because it often contains organisms
that can make you sick.
If you must drink stream water, boil it for at least 10
minutes or filter it with a purification kit. You can also add iodine to
the water, but be sure to read the instructions to find out how many
drops to add, and how long to wait after adding the drops before
drinking the water.
Another issue to be aware of is
campfires. When
choosing an area to make a fire, be sure there are no overhanging
branches near your fire and always make a fire pit by placing rocks
in a circle. Make your
fire inside of this circle.
Before leaving the fire, always make sure it is completely
out and that there are no hot coals left. By using these guidelines,
and keeping up on other safety tips, you can make your camping
experience a safe one.
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THE SENTINEL
– SPRING 2001
Make Your Home a Safe
Haven
Half
of all childhood injuries and
injury-related deaths occur in and around the home. Most home injury deaths are
caused by fire and burns, drowning, airway obstructions, firearms,
poisons and falls.
Younger children are especially at risk of being injured in
the home because it is where they spend the majority of their
time.
Please use the following room-by-room
checklist to making your home a safer
place:
General Safety
Tips
§
Keep all medicines and
household chemicals out of reach of children or in a locked
cabinet.
§
Install smoke alarms and
carbon monoxide detectors in hallways close to bedrooms, with at
least one on each level of your
home.
Baby’s
room
§
Place cribs away from windows
so children can’t reach blinds or curtain
cords.
§
Window blind cords should be
wrapped up around cord wraps or separated to prevent
strangulation.
§
Install a bed rail when your
child moves from a crib to a
bed.
§
Use
only cornstarch-based baby powder (no talc) and keep it out of reach
so that your baby doesn’t inhale
it.
Bathroom
§
Adjust your water heater so
the water temperature never exceeds 120 degrees
F.
§
Keep razors, medicine,
cosmetics, after-shave and mouthwash out of your child’s
reach.
§
Never let any amount of water
stand in the tub.
§
Never leave a child unattended
in the tub.
§
Always keep toilet lids down
and secured with a toilet lock.
§
Install safety latches on all
cabinets and drawers.
§
Use
non-slip bath mats on the bottom of your
tub.
§
Cover bath spouts with a soft
cover to prevent injuries from
falls.
Halls and
stairways
§
Put
nonskid pads under area rugs.
§
Install gates at the top and
bottom of stairs.
§
Keep clutter off stairs to
prevent falls.
§
Put
childproof safety plugs in all unused electrical
outlets.
Kitchen
§
Store hazardous items out of
reach. Keep sharp
knives in drawers with child-resistant
latches.
§
Install latches on cabinets
that contain cleaning liquids and dishwasher
detergent.
§
Always turn pot handles inward
and use the rear burners.
§
If
you child can open the oven door, consider installing a special
safety latch.
§
Children often grab electrical
cords and pull heavy appliances down on themselves, so keep cords
out of reach.
§
Install stove shields, which
make burner and oven controls inaccessible from below but detach
easily for cooking. You
could also remove control knobs to the burners and oven when you’re
not using them.
§
Avoid tablecloths, since
toddlers can pull them down and spill hot foods on
themselves.
§
Don’t keep vitamins or
medicines on your kitchen table.
§
Stow garbage under the sink or
make sure the can has a secure
lid.
§
Cover the garbage disposal
switch with a dome-type outlet
plate
Family room and
living room
§
Always check behind the
cushions of the sofa and under furniture for coins and small plastic
parts for toys that pose choking
hazards.
§
Keep houseplants up
high
§
Apply special edging strips to
sharp corners and edges on coffee tables. (Better yet, move the coffee
table out of the center of the room for the next year or
two.)
§
Be
aware of top-heavy furniture and TVs on stands; toddlers can pull
them over on top of themselves.
§
Be
sure your fireplace or wood-burning stove has a
barrier.
§
Keep guns unloaded, locked and
out of reach. Store
ammunition in a separate
lock-up.
Parent’s
bedroom
§
Keep the top of your dresser
free of perfumes or medicines.
Store such items in medicine cabinets or chests with safety
latches.<
