Reminders About Summertime Safety

Summer is officially here. With school out and longer days here, children need to be reminded of summer safety when riding their bikes or scooters, playing outside, or taking a swim.

Fairfield County Safe Kids Coalition and Danbury Hospital want parents and children to remember even though the weather is nice there are still safety issues that need to be remembered.

More than 30,000 scooter injuries that required a visit to the emergency room were reported through November 15, 2000. About 85 percent of the injuries occurred to children ages 14 and under.

Each year, more than 200 children ages 14 and under are killed and nearly 350,000 are injured in bicycle related incidents. Head injuries from falls off bicycles are the leading cause of death in bicycle related crashes. The majority of all bicycle fatalities occur in the summer months.

There are precautions parents and children can make to be safe during the summer when they are enjoying time off from school and are keeping busy doing fun things like riding a bike or scooter.

Danbury Hospital and the Safe Kids Coalition recommend the following safety tips for scooters and bikes:

* Children should wear appropriate safety gear including a helmet, elbow and knee pads, and proper footwear. Safety gear should fit properly and not interfere with the rider’s movement, vision, or hearing.

* Children eight and under should not use scooters without close supervision.

* Before a child rides a scooter, parents should check it thoroughly for hazards such as broken or cracked parts, sharp edges on metal boards, slippery surfaces, and wheels with nicks and cracks.

* Scooters should be ridden on smooth, paved surfaces free from traffic. Avoid riding on streets or surfaces with water, sand, gravel, or dirt.

* Don’t ride scooters at night.

* Never hitch a ride from a car, truck, or bicycle and limit usage of the scooter to one person at a time.

* Exercise caution when riding a scooter downhill. If a steep hill is encountered, step off the scooter and walk to the bottom of the hill.

Children riding bikes should know the rules of the road. Safety should always come first.

* Purchase an approved bicycle helmet for each child. Insist the helmet is worn correctly every time the child goes for a ride. Helmets have been shown to reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent and brain injury as much as 88 percent.

* Teach children safe bicycling behaviors. More than 80 percent of bicycle related fatalities are associated with the child’s behavior, including riding into a street without stopping, turning left or swerving into traffic that is coming from behind, running a stop sign, and riding against the flow of traffic.

* Make sure the child’s bicycle is the right size and works properly. Make sure your child can reach the ground, the reflectors and brakes work. Also make sure the gears shift properly and the tires are secured tightly and properly inflated.

* Encourage the child to bike in safe environments.

* Wear bright colored clothing so drivers can spot the rider more easily.

Kids remember to be safe as you enjoy your summer off. But do not forget the first day of school is August 28!