Child Passenger Safety Week is September 18-24, 2016 and culminates with National Seat Check Saturday on September 24.

• Safe Kids will host nearly 500 child passenger events across the country, offering guidance from certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians to help parents provide the best protection for their kids.
• For a full list of events taking place in Georgia visit www.safekidsgeorgia.org/calendar-of-events

The Scope of the Problem

• Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children.
• More than 2,600 children under the age of 13 are involved in a car crash every day, that is one child every 33 seconds.
• Between 2014 and 2015 there was a 10% increase in fatal crashes involving children under the age of 13 (FARS).
• In passenger cars, child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers.
• While most parents put kids in car seats, 59 percent are not installed correctly (NHTSA, 2015 National Child Restraint Use Special Study).

Ultimate Car Seat Guide

Are you an expecting parent trying to figure out what car seat to buy for your new baby? Are you bewildered by how to properly install the car seat? Then the Ultimate Car Seat Guide is the answer for you.

Parents can find car seat buying and installing bewildering. The Ultimate Car Seat Guide offers basic and easy-to-understand tips on how to choose and use a car seat.

www.UltimateCarSeatGuide.org

Not every parent can make it to one of the thousands of car seat checkup events held by Safe Kids each year, but with the Ultimate Car Seat Guide every parent can now get helpful tips to protect kids on the move.

• The Ultimate Car Seat Guide offers easy to understand tips on how to choose and use a car seat
• Our experts share best practices to give your kids the best protection.
• The Guide, developed with support from General Motors, is based on the wisdom gained from checking nearly 2 million car seats at Safe Kids events.
• Advice covers all stages of a child’s development, from the first car seat until the child is ready to ride with a seat belt.
• The Ultimate Car Seat Guide is free and easily accessible from your phone. Just go to UltimateCarSeatGuide.org.
• There are two ways to get safety tips:  Personalized for your child and basic information every parent needs to know.

Safe Kids Georgia urges families to check their smoke alarms and practice their home fire safety drill

Working smoke alarms reduce the chances of dying in a fire by nearly 50 percent per Safe Kids Worldwide and they are a critical first step for staying safe, but in order to be effective, they need to be working properly. For the best protection, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends that smoke alarms are installed in every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement.

If you’re like most families, you’re probably not sure when your smoke alarms expire. To find out how old your smoke alarm is and its expiration date, simply look on the back of the alarm where the date of manufacture is marked. The smoke alarm should be replaced 10 years from that date (not the date of purchase). Smoke alarms should also be tested monthly and batteries replaced at least once per year.

“Time and again, I’ve seen the life-saving impact smoke alarms can have in a home fire, but I’ve also seen the tragedy that can result when smoke alarms aren’t working properly,” says Beverly Losman, Director of Safe Kids Georgia. “That’s why we’re making a concerted effort to educate Georgia residents about the overall importance of smoke alarms, and that they do have a life limit.”

Fire experts agree that during a home fire, working smoke alarms and a fire escape plan that has been practiced regularly can save lives. It only takes two minutes for a fire to fill a home with black smoke or engulf it in flames. Less than one in five families (18 percent) with children ages 3-17 have actually practiced home fire drills, and less than half of parents (48 percent) have talked to their families about fire safety.

To culminate Fire Prevention Week (October 9 – 15), Safe Kids Georgia is joining in the promotion of National Home Fire Drill Day on October 15 to raise awareness about the importance of and creating and practicing a home fire escape plan and fire safety.

For more information on home fire escape planning or this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Don’t Wait – Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years.” visit www.homefiredrillday.com or www.firepreventionweek.org.

Recently, our Centers for Disease Control Fellow for Safe Kids Georgia, Sirena Gandy, had an opportunity to learn more about Rhea Chawla and all that she is doing to help educate the community about road safety.

1. Tell us about yourself.

I am a junior at Flowery Branch High School in Hall County. I also attend Lanier Career Academy for design. After high school, I want to pursue a career in fashion design.

2. What inspired your movement?

March of this year, my mom was involved in a car accident in which she was hit by a distracted teen driver. She still deals with emotional and physical effects of the crash. I really want people to be aware of the real risks of distracted driving.

3. What were the difficulties in planning your Road Safety event and how did you overcome those difficulties?

The biggest difficulty was getting the word out. To spread the word, I used advertisement, sent email blast to schools within the district and had an interview with Fox 5 at Lanier Career Academy.

4. What do you think will change about road safety and teen driving over the next 5 years or what changes do you hope to see?

I think that in 5 years, there will be a law in place banning the use of phones for any function while driving. I just believe that there will be an elimination of all distracted driving. One thing that I hope to see is the probationary period of being able to transport others (outside of parents and guardians) extended from 6 months to a full year.

5. What/who keeps you motivated?

My parents are what keep me motivated, especially my mom because of her experience with the car crash. My peers are also what keep me motivated.

6. What do you do when you aren’t working on your initiative?

I love designing; that is my passion. I really enjoy graphic design and art. Recently, I became a 4-H Master and won 1^st place at district and state for design and construction. For the competition, I designed and constructed a prom dress.

7. What action do you want the readers of this interview to take after reading?

I want them to realize the importance of safe driving. Many teens don’t realize how real the consequences of distracted and reckless driving are. I care, and I want others to care too.

8. What new projects or ideas for road safety do you have coming up?

After the road safety event, I did some awareness work at a fall festival event in my neighborhood. Within the next couple of months, I plan to go to all 6 high schools in my county to talk about road safety.

9. How can other teens and organizations get in touch with you for more information?

The best way to contact me is by email. My email address is rheac027@gmail.com. 

Recently, Safe Kids Georgia Program Coordinator Mahwish Javed and Operations Coordinator Laura Coleman visited four coalitions in the Coastal Georgia area. The goal of the trip was to check in with the coalitions and talk with each about their successes and challenges with their coalitions.

The first day they went from Safe Kids Wayne in Jesup with Carol Irvin to Safe Kids Toombs in Vidalia with Bonnie Brantley. Safe Kids Wayne hosted a “Teen Driving Roadeo” the weekend prior and discussed things that could be done to improve the next one held. Bonnie was invited to Washington DC to the Road Safety Conference with Safe Kids Worldwide due to the great work she has done in Toombs County.

The next day they visited with Stephanie Gendron with Safe Kids Savannah and Sgt. Jimmy Billings in Statesboro with Safe Kids Bulloch. Stephanie was planning for a large bike safety event coming up in December and Bulloch is making great strides with their car seat program.

The passion for injury prevention was evident with each coalition coordinator as the new Teens in the Driver’s Seat program was discussed along with assisting each coalition with the new reporting system. Coalition building and retention of members was another topic that was discussed. While phone calls and emails do give the state office a snapshot of the status of coalitions, a face to face visit on site provides a better understanding of the needs of each local coalition so they and their community can be better served.

This holiday season, take a moment & make sure you’re traveling safely. And remember to share these tips with your loved ones!

ON THE ROAD

Watch out for Distracted Drivers and Pedestrians

• Shopping center parking lots are busier during the holidays. Keep an eye out for distracted pedestrians and drivers who may not be paying attention to you, especially when backing out of parking spaces.
• For parents of teens, remind them to be extra alert during this holiday season, when conditions are more challenging even for experienced drivers.
• Make sure you are not distracted while driving. Commit to keeping your phone down. No text message or play list is worth the risk.

Make Sure Every Passenger has a Seat Belt, Car Seat or Booster Seat

• Remember to buckle up every ride, every time, whether it’s the long trip to visit family or around the block to the mall.
• When traveling in large groups, all riders in a vehicle need their own seat belt or car seat, even for short rides.
• Check your car seat before holiday travel. Seventy-three percent of car seats are not used or installed correctly, so check it before you hit the road. Here’s a quick car seat checklist to help you out. It takes only 15 minutes. If you are having even the slightest trouble, questions or concerns, certified child passenger safety technicians are able to help or even double check your work. Find a local Safe Kids coalition.
• Safety in the car goes beyond your little ones. Kids who have outgrown a forward-facing harness seat are not ready for a seat belt or front seat yet. They are safest in a booster seat that enables the adult seat belt to fit properly. Even when children have graduated from booster seats, they should remain in the back seat until they reach the age of 13.

Expect the Unexpected on the Road

• Have an Exit Strategy on the Road. So now the car is packed, the kids are in the right seat, the seats are installed properly, and you’re on the open road. Nothing can stop you now, right? Wrong. That’s when you hear that all too familiar “howl that means “I want food” or “Change my diaper.” When it happens, please don’t worry about making good time. Instead, get off at the next exit and find a safe area to feed or change your child.
• You never know when you have to stop abruptly, so keep hot foods, large gifts and anything that can become a projectile in the trunk.
• If you are headed to a party and plan to drink alcohol, designate a driver or use a car service to make sure you get home safely.

Remember to watch out for distracted drivers in busy parking lots, use designated drivers when out drinking, don’t text and drive and always buckle up.

Follow this link for an interactive way to remind you how to be safe during this holiday season while traveling near and far.

The Safe Kids Georgia team is thrilled to welcome our Spring 2017 Interns! Both are from the University of Georgia and have a passion for keeping Georgia’s children free from accidental injury.

Robert Breazu
Growing up in both Romania and right here in Georgia, I have had the opportunity to live within a few different communities and experience vastly different conditions. Combined with my interest in science and my undergraduate studies in Biology and Psychology, this has pulled me strongly into the fields of Public Health and Health Promotion. Having worked as a pharmacy technician, I know what it is like to feel powerless as a provider ­­– giving people their next batch of pills, but not really helping to change their lives for the better. I hope that my time at Safe Kids Georgia will both help me build the necessary skills and actively participate in work that will improve communities and promote healthy childhoods, helping them live better lives in the moment rather than waiting for problems to appear in the future.

A’Ja Johnson
My hometown is the small, rural city of Barnesville, GA, where I graduated from Lamar County High School. Currently, I’m a senior at the University of Georgia completing a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion. Although I welcome any learning experience within the field of public health, the areas I am most passionate about are serving underrepresented communities and eliminating health disparities. I aspire to engage with low-income communities and help empower individuals in their ability to make choices for the betterment of their health. Currently, I am completing an internship with Safe Kids Georgia for Spring 2017. I am looking forward to gaining valuable experience in regards to developing and tailoring educational materials, writing grants, designing questionnaires, performing needs assessments, and planning, implementing, and evaluating programs. Overall, it is my hope that my efforts to modify how we frame information about preventable childhood injuries will increase awareness, change perceptions, and help create environments where children can live to their full potential.

Did you know?

• SIDS is the leading cause of death in infants between 1 month and 1 year of age.
• Most SIDS deaths happen when babies are between 1 month and 4 months of age.
• Each year, about 4,000 infants die unexpectedly during sleep time, from SIDS, accidental suffocation, or unknown causes.
• SIDS is not a risk for babies 1 year of age or older.

Safe Sleep History

Beginning in 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) led national efforts to begin establishing infant sleep recommendations. The organization worked to debunk popular perception that infants should sleep on their stomach, or formally called the “prone position,” and instead be placed on their back, or the “supine position,” when sleeping. 

AAP’s infant sleep recommendations have evolved over the past two decades to include environmental factors that contribute to safer sleep times for infants like eliminating tobacco smoke in areas where infants sleep or reside, maintaining moderate room temperatures and ensuring infants avoid sleeping on soft surfaces such as adult beds, pillows or couches.

These recommendations are now widely accepted as the ABCs of Safe Infant Sleep and are the cornerstone of the Georgia Safe to Sleep campaign:

Alone – Babies should sleep alone in their own sleep space, close to but separate from their caregiver. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to share a room with the baby, but avoid sleeping in the same bed with the infant. 

Back – Babies should be placed on their back to sleep. Studies show that placing infants on their back for all sleep times, including naps and at night, reduces the risk of SIDS.

Crib – Babies should sleep in a crib or bassinet that meets standards set forth by the Consumer Products Safety Commission. The mattress should be firm and covered with a tight-fitting bottom sheet made specifically for the crib. No blankets, quilts, crib bumpers, toys or any objects should be in baby’s sleeping space.

Georgia’s Safe to Sleep campaign also includes a hospital-based program that provides policy guidance and educational tools on safe infant sleep practices to medical, nursing, breastfeeding, child birth education and nutrition staff members. This vital information enables the state’s birthing centers to model and educate caregivers on AAP’s sleep recommendations before infants leave the hospital.

Room Sharing Recommended by the AAP

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Task Force on Sudden Infant Death expanded its recommendations on the promotion of safe infant sleep environments in October of 2011 and updated them in October of 2016.  One of the recommendations involves room sharing as opposed to bed sharing for the first year or at least, up to 6 months of age.

This idea involves moving the infants sleep area into the same room as his or her parent’s room.  This allows the infant to be close to but, separate from, the parent.  The parent is able to monitor the infant but, the infant is removed from any risks of entrapment and suffocation associated with bed sharing. If a family has a nursery set up before baby arrives and then, only hears about room sharing after the baby is born, they are required to either move the crib (often requiring disassembly to fit through the bedroom doors) or purchase another temporarily sleep space.  Parenthood is already a lot of work and this is an unnecessary extra burden for parents and caregivers with newborns.

Introducing the idea of room sharing to expecting parents prior to the birth of their baby allows them the opportunity to consider the recommendation, decide if it is a good fit for their family and, make the needed changes to their sleep arrangements.

Why consider room sharing at all?

• There is evidence that sleeping in the parents’ room but on a separate surface decreases the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%.
• Placing the crib close to the parents’ bed so that the infant is within view and reach can facilitate feeding, comforting, and monitoring of the infant.
• Room-sharing reduces SIDS risk and removes the possibility of suffocation, strangulation, and entrapment that may occur when the infant is sleeping in the adult bed.

Additionally, it is very easy for a parent to fall asleep while feeding baby, especially during those early morning feedings.  Evidence suggests that it is less hazardous to fall asleep with the infant in the adult bed than on a sofa or armchair, should the parent fall asleep.  When room sharing is the chosen sleep situation, in the circumstance when a parent accidentally falls asleep, they can quickly and easily move the infant back to his or her own sleep space and then, resume sleeping themselves.  The risk of death increases with the duration of bed or other surface sharing so, this is an important reason to encourage room sharing. 

How to put your baby to sleep safely every time

More about the Georgia Safe to Sleep Campaign

Each year in the U.S., more than 3,500 infants, without a prior known illness or injury, die suddenly and unexpectedly from sleep-related causes such as SIDS and Accidental Suffocation and Strangulation in Bed. As of 2015, Georgia averaged three infant deaths per week due to sleep-related causes, which are mostly preventable.

Georgia leaders have come together to combat this issue by introducing the Georgia Safe to Sleep campaign, a statewide initiative designed to raise awareness about sleep-related infant deaths and evidence-based sleep practices.

Campaign Goals
The Georgia Safe to Sleep campaign will provide tools and resources that strengthen policy, provide consistent education and change infant sleep environments in an effort to achieve four primary objectives:

• Prevent infant sleep-related deaths in Georgia
• Empower professionals in multiple disciplines to educate parents about safe sleep environments and ensure they see proper sleeping practices modeled in hospitals
• Disseminate accurate and consistent messages that empower families to make informed decisions about infant sleep
• Increase access to resources that support behaviors that protect infants from sleep-related deaths

For more information or if you have questions, please contact, Terri Miller, the Georgia Safe to Sleep Campaign Coordinator at: terri.miller@dph.ga.gov at 404-825-4304.

Read the full report: SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2016 Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment, TASK FORCE ON SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME Pediatrics; originally published online October 24, 2016; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2016-2938

**Did you know fact source: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

One of the most common questions parents and caregivers have regarding their child’s car seat is, “Is it safe?”. While all car seats rated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are safe, car seats do differ in ease of use. The NHTSA provides an Ease of Use rating system for consumers to make decisions about different features of the product, using a five-star scale. For further information visit: NHTSA Ease of Use Ratings Website

Another common question we receive is regarding Georgia car seat laws and what is legal placement of a car seat in the vehicle. In Georgia, there is legislation to ensure children are riding in child passenger restraint systems while in a passenger motor vehicle. According to O.C.G.A. 40-8-76 (Georgia Code) children under eight years of age must ride in an approved child restraint system and the driver shall provide proper restraint of a child in a child passenger restraint system appropriate for such child’s height and weight and is approved by the U.S. government. Additionally, it is very important for parents and caregivers to understand that while the law is important to know, it is also critical to understand what is best practice for children who ride in car seats and knowing the appropriate car seat to use.

Click here for more information on best practices for children who ride in car seats

GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF HIGHWAY SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHILDREN BIRTH TO 12 YEARS

Common & specific questions:

Can a child ride in the front seat of a single cab truck?
If a driver only has a single cab truck to transport children in, the driver must follow the instructions for their vehicle when it comes to securing car seats in the vehicle. Additionally, children who ride in car seats that are rear facing, cannot ride in front of an active air bag, so it is imperative to verify specific instructions from the vehicle manufacturer.

Can a child ride in the front seat?
According to GA law, children under eight years of age must ride in the rear vehicle seat. One of the exceptions in the law regarding front seat passengers is that if all available seating positions are occupied, a child can sit in the front, if they are under eight years of age – but again a child who rides rear facing, should not ride up front. Best practice is for all children under age 13 years to ride in the rear seat.

Why are booster seats necessary?
Children Using Booster Seats Are 59 Percent Less Likely To Be Injured In A Crash Than Those Using A Seat Belt Alone.

More Frequently Asked Questions about Child Passenger Safety can be found here…

Georgia booster seat law changes in Spanish

Find a child safety seat fitting location

National Poison Prevention Week is March 19th – 25th

Medications are the leading cause of child poisoning. In 2013, over 59,000 children were seen in emergency room for medicine poisoning. That’s one child every nine minutes. Almost all of these visits are because the child got into medicines during a moment alone. 

Top Tips for Medication Safety

• Put all medicine up and away and out of sight. In 86% of emergency department visits for medicine poisoning, the child got into medicine belonging to a parent or grandparent.
• Consider places where kids get into medicine. Kids get into medication in all sorts of places, like in purses and nightstands. Place purses and bags in high locations, and avoid leaving medicine on a nightstand or dresser. In 2 out of 3 emergency room visits for medicine poisoning, the medicine was left within reach of a child.
• Consider products you might not think about as medicine. Health products such as vitamins, diaper rash creams, eye drops and even hand sanitizer can be harmful if kids get into them. Store these items up, away and out of sight, just as you would traditional medicine.
• Only use the dosing device that comes with the medicine. Kitchen spoons aren’t all the same, and a teaspoon or tablespoon used for cooking won’t measure the same amount of medicine as a dosing device.
• Write clear instructions for caregivers about your child’s medicine. When other caregivers are giving your child medicine, they need to know what medicine to give, how much to give and when to give it. Using a medicine schedule can help with communication between caregivers.
• Save the Poison Help line in your phone: 1-800-222-1222. Put the toll-free number for the Poison Control Center into your home and cell phones. You can also put the number on your refrigerator or another place in your home where babysitters and caregivers can see it. And remember, the Poison Help line is not just for emergencies, you can call with questions about how to take or give medicine.

“It’s important to take a close look at the ingredients in children’s medication,  especially in combination products. For example, if two products contain acetaminophen, you could be giving a double dose and this can be harmful to the liver. I prefer to give my children medications with single ingredients, that way I not only control exactly how much of each medication they receive, but I avoid giving medications that may not be necessary.” – Corrie Crews PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist, Kaiser Permanente

In 2017, Safe Kids conducted a nationwide online survey among 2,000 parents with children under age 6 in order to better understand their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors when it comes to the safe storage of medicine.

The survey findings revealed a striking gap between parents’ knowledge of what they should do to protect kids from accidental medicine poisoning and their own behavior or attitudes. In fact, while 9 in 10 parents agree itis important to store all medicine out of sight and up high after every use, nearly 7 in 10 report that, in reality, they often store medicine within a child’s sight – on a shelf or surface at or above counter height. Read the full report here…

This month the Safe Kids Georgia team collaborated with our lead agency, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Injury Prevention Program (CHIPP) to host the first Baby Safety Shower. Also in partnership with the Grady Women’s Center, the purpose of the shower was to educate mothers on safe care of their newborns and to provide some select home safety items as gifts for their baby.

Approximately 10 expectant moms and their guests were treated to refreshments, cake, safety education, giveaways, literature and a brief presentation on the following topics: 

Home Safety: Safe kids Fulton coordinators, Angela Johnson and Gail Robinson and Safe Kids Georgia’s Program Coordinator Mahwish Javed, provided home safety kits with home safety equipment: cabinet locks, outlet covers etc , halo sleep sacks, and child safety brochures/tip sheets.

Car seat safety: Meagan Gibson from the Georgia Department of Public Health, a certified child passenger safety technician, instructed the expectant moms on how to keep babies safe in the car with tips such as: babies should be rear-facing until a minimum of age 2; keep straps tight; use the chest clip, and no bulky clothes or blankets.

Safe Sleep: Dr. Maneesha Agarwal (Pediatric ED) covered the Safe Sleep as well as SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). She emphasized that babies sleep safest alone, on their back in a crib. She stressed the importance of dressing the baby not the baby’s bed – no crib bumpers, no blankets, no stuffed animals, etc. Babies should sleep in a sleep sack with a onesie underneath if needed.

The shower included interactive, 15 minute stations covering topics of safe sleep, breast feeding, swaddling, infant emergencies, myth busting and child passenger safety. Two prizes were raffled to the Grady prenatal program moms, which included a car seat with car seat fitting from Safe Kids Fulton County and a pack and play from Graco.

The shower was organized and directed by Dr. Melissa Adams (Pediatric Primary care) and Dr. Sarah Lazarus (Pediatric ED). Special thanks to the Emory Rollins School of Public Health students for designing the curriculum for the shower. 

All partners considered this first Baby Safety Shower a huge success and participating mothers expressed enjoyment and knowledge gained from attending the shower safety stations! CHIPP plans on hosting these showers multiple times a year at the Grady Women’s Center.

Childhood injury remains the number one cause of death for children ages birth to 19 years of age in the US.

Know the Facts

• Drivers in their 20s are 24 percent of drivers in all fatal crashes, but are 27 percent of the distracted drivers and 33 percent of the distracted drivers that were using cell phones in fatal crashes.
• In 2015, there were 3,477 people killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.
• More than half (53%) of all adult cellphone owners have been on the giving or receiving end of a distracted walking encounter, according to a Pew Research study. 
• Ten percent of fatal crashes, 15 percent of injury crashes, and 14 percent of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2015 were reported as distraction-affected crashes

Read more facts at StopTextsStopWrecks.org

Responsibility has its rewards

This month our teen driving safety partner in Georgia, Teens in the Driver Seat, is giving away a number of prizes that include an Apple Air iPad, Galaxy tablet and apple/android watches! Download the app and start earning points for prizes: www.safedriverapp.com

Congratulations to all our Teens in the Driver Seat Cup Winners and Outstanding Schools!

Last week our program coordinator and one of our interns took a trip to Emory’s downtown campus to attend a Brown Bag Lecture hosted by the Injury Prevention and Research Center at Emory (IPRCE). Deceptively titled, there were no brown bags present at this lecture — it must have been “Bring Your Own Bag”. Nevertheless, they had the opportunity to join a diverse group of doctors, researchers, and students — all dedicated to the prevention of injury — and learn about “Falls: A Serious Problem for Georgia’s Youngest Population”.

Dr. Sofia Chaudhary and Dr. Sharon Nieb guided the group through the preliminary findings of their ongoing research, highlighting some key facts. For a while now, falls have been the leading cause of nonfatal injury for children birth to age 4, with infants under age 1 having the highest rate of hospitalization. The current research was spurred on by limited data on types of falls and a lack of evidence-based interventions for preventing childhood falls.

In their exploration of trauma registry data, some of the interesting facts they discovered were that:

• Most falls occur at home, usually from a height under 3.3 feet (1 meter)
• In terms of age, most cases were infants under age 1. For gender, most cases involved boys.
• The mechanism of injury varied by age, but most commonly, falls occurred from beds and furniture, followed by stairs and playground equipment.
• As a result of these falls
  • Infants under age 1 had the highest rate of head injuries
  • Children age 2 to 3 had the highest rate of femur fractures
  • Children age 3 to 4 had the highest rate of humerus fractures

Further digging into medical data and more thorough statistical analyses are required, but the current findings clearly show that — when it comes to childhood falls — there is a serious need for improving education and awareness. Current pediatric guidelines involve falls prevention education, but Drs. Chaudhary and Nieb recommended that these guidelines should be revised to expand the education and make it more comprehensive.

Once their research is completed, they hope to be able to provide a model for this education and explore innovative options, such as combined adult and pediatric falls prevention programs. Whatever happens, we at Safe Kids look forward to working with them towards a shared goal: keeping children safe from unintentional injuries.

Resources:

Home Safety Activity Book // Tip Sheet: Everything you need to know to keep your kids safe from falls // Fall prevention from CDC

Did You Know?

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers, ahead of all other types of injury, violence, or disease.¹
• Every day, six teenagers are killed in a motor vehicle crash in the U.S.¹
• In 2015, teenagers 15-19 years of age accounted for 66% of motor vehicle deaths among children ages 19 and under in the U.S.²
• In 2015, teenagers 15-19 years of age accounted for 96% of motor vehicle deaths among children ages 19 and under in Georgia.³
• Nationwide, 10% of teenage drivers reported driving after drinking alcohol within the past 30 days.¹
• 41% of teenage drivers surveyed in 2013 said they had texted or emailed while driving in the past 30 days.¹
• 31% of high school teenagers report it is likely that they or their friends will be under the influence of drugs or alcohol sometime during prom or graduation season.⁴
• 87% of teenagers believe their peers are likely to drive impaired instead of calling their parent or guardian for help because they are afraid of getting in trouble.⁴
• 30% of teenagers know other teenagers who have gotten DUIs for impaired driving.⁴

Prom season 2017 has arrived and Safe Kids Georgia wanted to make it a safe one for Hillgrove High School students. On Tuesday, April 18, 2017, a few of our staff members visited Hillgrove High School in Powder Springs to support AAA PROMise; a program offered by the Auto Club Group Traffic Safety Foundation to reduce the number of youth under the age of 21 killed in alcohol or drug-related car crashes. An emphasis is placed on prom through graduation season (March – June) because this is typically when many car crashes occur. During Hillgrove’s 3-hour lunch block, our Program Coordinator and Intern talked with juniors and seniors about the dangers of distracted driving as well as impaired driving. Stations were set up to address dangerous driving behaviors and situations. Students practiced driving on a simulator and wore “drunk” goggles to see how drinking affects reaction time. Moreover, students were given educational materials and promotional items that communicated how to stay safe between prom and grad night by avoiding the dangers of impaired driving. Lastly, students were encouraged to take the AAA PROMise safe driving pledge. By taking the AAA PROMise pledge, teens committed to making the right decision when it comes to underage drinking, drugs, and impaired driving:

• I promise not to drink alcohol or take drugs.
• I promise not to drive impaired.
• I promise not to let my friends drive impaired.
• I promise my parents I will get home safely.

The pledge reinforces the parent-teen relationship by encouraging teens to talk to their parents about the dangers of underage drinking, illegal drug use, and impaired driving. This includes having a plan for a safe way home during prom and graduation season. Should the teen be in danger of driving impaired or riding with someone who may be impaired, parents can pick their teen up and AAA will tow the family car home free of charge. Events like these give students firsthand experience of what impaired driving can do and allows students to make good judgements when they’re in real life situations and faced with tough decisions.

References

1. Safe Kids Worldwide (2016). Motor Vehicle Safety Fact Sheet. Retrieved from https://www.safekids.org/sites/default/files/documents/skw_motor_vehicle_fact_sheet_2016_final.pdf
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). Atlanta, GA: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars.
3. Georgia Department of Public Health, Office of Health Indicators for Planning. Online Analytical Statistical Information System (OASIS). Retrieved from https://oasis.state.ga.us.
4. Auto Club Group Traffic Safety Foundation. Make the AAA Promise. Retrieved from https://autoclubsouth.aaa.com/safety/aaapromise.aspx

For the second year in a row, Safe Kids Douglas hosted a car seat check the Saturday prior to Mother’s Day. Safe Kids Douglas hosts quarterly seat checks at the Douglas County Transportation Center, but this one is extra special with roses for all the mothers participating. Of the 11 seats checked on this day, only 2 were installed correctly.

Many thanks to Wellstar for providing bilingual technicians, and Kate Chiseri with Emory and Safe Kids Georgia. 

The Safe Kids Georgia team and a few of our co-workers from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta were happy to attend and support the press conference today at the State Capitol discussing the “Look Again” Campaign urging greater awareness to protect Georgia’s youngest citizens.

For the fourth consecutive year, Governor Nathan Deal, First Lady Sandra Deal, and leaders of several state agencies are calling for families and caregivers of children to have a heightened awareness of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles. The hope is that a news conference held today at the State Capitol and a new public service announcement will help prevent heatstroke deaths of children this summer.

“Since 2010, 13 children in Georgia have died due to vehicular heatstroke,” said Governor Deal. “I ask all Georgians to join me in preventing future loss of life by being aware of your surroundings and never leaving a child in a car, even for just a minute. Lives can be saved if we all just take the time to Look Again.”

The message is simple: When you arrive at your destination, check the front and back of your car, and after you’ve looked, just to be sure, Look Again.

A public service announcement video can be found on YouTube at http://bit.ly/2rQN7he and on DECAL’s website (www.decal.ga.gov).

Officials also ask the public to be their eyes and ears in the community, and if they see a child left alone in a vehicle, call 911 immediately; emergency personnel are trained to respond. Agencies participating in the campaign include DECAL; Georgia Department of Public Health; Georgia Department of Human Services; Georgia Department of Public Safety; Georgia State Patrol; Governor’s Office of Highway Safety; Georgia Department of Transportation; and the Georgia Children’s Cabinet. Supporting partners included Safe Kids Georgia, Emory Center for Injury Control, Get Georgia Reading Campaign, Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Georgia Child Care Association (GCCA), Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS), Georgia Family Connection Partnership, and Voices for Georgia’s Children.

On Friday, June 23, 2017, Safe Kids Georgia held their quarterly Coalition Resource Meeting at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, Georgia. The Safe Kids Georgia team and fifteen of our Safe Kids Coalitions participated.  During our quarterly meeting, our coordinators were able to share beneficial information along with recent successes.  

A popular question that you still need answered: Is your next Uber or Lyft ride considered to be your taxi cab? The answer is no! Uber and Lyft are considered to be Rideshare Services defining this as “any person or entity that uses a digital network or internet network to connect passengers to ride share drivers for the purpose of prearranged transportation for hire or for donation.” What does this mean for you?  This means your child is not exempt from the child restraint law; taxi cabs and public transit vehicles are the only vehicles exempt from this law.  So, next time you request your Uber or Lyft, grab your child’s passenger safety seat and keep them safe during your ride! 
Note: this information was provided by the Georgia Department of Public Health, they can be contacted at 404-463-1487 or by email at injury@dph.ga.gov for additional information.

As we finish our first year and move into our next, Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS) is hosting two workshops in collaboration with Safe Kids Georgia Coordinators around the state. Stacey Tisdale, of TDS will lead these workshops.  

Safe Kids Augusta announced at Friday’s meeting that five Columbia County schools will be implementing TDS this coming fall!  From our Safe Kids Augusta coordinator, Renee McCabe, we were able to learn that persistence is key in implementing this nationally recognized peer-to-peer program.

Teens in the Driver Seat is an award-winning peer-to-peer program for high school and junior high aged youth. Teens help shape the program and are responsible for implementing it and educating their peers and parents.

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Did you know?
A a new study by Safe Kids Worldwide on unintentional injuries and deaths in children under 14 found nearly half of childhood deaths happen between May and August, with a spike in the rates of unintentional injuries and deaths in July.

Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/2u2h9xe

Fireworks Safety Tips 2017

Leave Fireworks to the Professionals

• The best way to protect your family is to not use any fireworks at home. Instead, attend public fireworks displays and leave the lighting to the professionals.
• If you plan to use fireworks, make sure they are legal in your area.

Be Extra Careful With Sparklers

• Little arms are too short to hold sparklers, which can heat up to 1,200 degrees. How about this? Let your young children use glow sticks instead. They can be just as fun but they don’t burn at a temperature hot enough to melt glass.
• Closely supervise children around fireworks at all times.

Take Necessary Precautions

• Do not wear loose clothing while using fireworks.
• Never light fireworks indoors or near dry grass.
• Point fireworks away from homes, and keep away from brush, leaves and flammable substances

Be Prepared for an Accident or Injury

• Stand several feet away from lit fireworks. If a device does not go off, do not stand over it to investigate it. Put it out with water and dispose of it.
• Always have a bucket of water and/or a fire extinguisher nearby. Know how to operate the fire extinguisher properly.
• If a child is injured by fireworks, immediately go to a doctor or hospital. If an eye injury occurs, don’t allow your child to touch or rub it, as this may cause even more damage.

**Sources: www.nfpa.org/education // Safe Kids USA

National Child Passenger Safety Week — September 2017

In the United States, motor vehicle–related injuries are a leading cause of death among children (1). In 2015, a total of 663 passenger-vehicle occupants aged ≤12 years died as a result of a crash (2), and nearly 132,000 were injured (1). Among the children who died in 2015, 35% were known to be unrestrained (2). To keep child passengers as safe as possible, drivers should use age- and size–appropriate restraints for all child passengers until adult seat belts fit properly (lap belts should lay across upper thighs, not abdomen, and shoulder belts should lay across the middle of the shoulder and chest, not the neck or face) and follow the American Academy of Pediatrics’ child passenger safety recommendations (3). Children aged <13 years should be properly restrained in the back seat.(Source: CDC.gov)

Safe Kids Wayne County

Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children ages 1-13, according to the National Child Passenger Safety Board. But—many deaths and injuries can be prevented with proper use of car seats, booster seats, and seat belts.

Getting safety information and car seat instructions to parents and caregivers is vitalto saving young lives.

That’s why Powell Harrelson with the Georgia Office of Highway Safety and Carol Irvin with Safe Kids Wayne County visited The Bridge to share information you can use to help make your commute with your little ones, safer.

Click ‘play’ to learn more about Child Passenger Safety Awareness week, the difference between a ‘baby seat’ and a ‘booster seat’, and why it’s not recommended that you put your child in a used car seat. Video courtesy of WSAV-TV 

Safe Kids Gainesville/Hall County

Safe Kids Gainesville/Hall County participated in two local events during CPS Week! A safety fair that was geared towards kids that held car seat checks and provided caregivers with educational information on  all safety areas. About 400 people came to the fair!

Safe Kids Coordinator, Erin Green, teamed up with her colleagues in the Trauma Department and provided caregivers with education on Child Passenger Safety and Distracted Driving at the Jackson EMC’s Annual Meeting. Approximately 5,000 people attended the meeting. 

Safe Kids Gwinnett

On Saturday, September 23, 2017, Mahwish Javed, Program Coordinator for Safe Kids Georgia, along with two interns attended the Public Safety Day at CoolRay Field in Gwinnett County. Kids learned about fire, bike, and car seat safety, while getting crazy hair designs by our two intern hair-stylists. Temporary tattoos were also given and parents received a check list for home fire safety.

Safe Kids Toombs County

During National Child Passenger Safety Week, Caresource was honored to partner with Safe Kids Toombs County, local law enforcement, Vidalia Fire Department and Paul Thigpen Chevrolet to host a car seat safety check. 

“We want all our kids under age 8 to be transported safely in car seats and booster seats that are properly installed. We applaud the parents and grandparents who stopped by to make sure their kids were safe.” -Seema Csukas, MD, PhD, FAAP, Medical Director for Caresource, Safe Kids Georgia Board Member

News coverage of the event by Southeast Georgia Today

(Image Courtesy of SafeCar.gov)

For more car seat information, visit https://www.safekids.org/ultimate-car-seat-guide/ to learn about buying, installing, fitting, and when to change your child’s car seat.

The post Child Passenger Safety Week 2017 Round-up appeared first on Safe Kids Georgia.

Halloween Safety

FACT: Kids are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year.

The phrase “Halloween danger” usually brings to mind images of dark nights and threats of spoiled candies—but many parents are unaware of the real danger trick-or-treating may pose to their children.

Due to the nature of the holiday, pedestrian traffic is heavy and unpredictable, and many adults are celebrating away from home and then driving elsewhere, leading to more intoxication behind the wheel. In the five years from 2007 to 2011, 23 percent of pedestrian fatalities on Halloween night involved a drunk driver, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Coupled with the fact that parties and trick-or-treating usually kicks off at night, the fright in this holiday could be very real. 

DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE SAFETY FLYER

DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE HALLOWEEN SCRAMBLE GAME

DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS IN SPANISH

To help keep your child safe, check out our tips on how to celebrate Halloween with a safe and happy child:

Walk Safely

• Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks, and look both ways multiple times.
• Take pictures at home before trick-or-treating, and then leave the phone in your pocket. Parents and children need to be as alert as drivers.
• Always walk on sidewalks or paths, or as far from the middle of the street as possible.
• Watch for cars that are turning into or backing up from driveways.

Trick or Treat With an Adult

• Children under the age of 12 should not be alone at night without adult supervision. If kids are mature enough to be out without supervision, they should stick to familiar areas that are well lit, and trick-or-treat in groups.

Keep Costumes Creative and Safe

• Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors.
• Avoid masks that obstruct a child’s vision, as well as costumes that could trip them up.
• Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers. Glow sticks can be very low-cost, and may even be available in grocery or corner stores.

Drive Extra Safely on Halloween

• Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
• Drive slowly, anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances.
• Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. so be especially alert for kids during those hours.

The post Be Seen on Halloween appeared first on Safe Kids Georgia.

State Representative John Carson (R- Marietta), Chairman of the House Study Committee on Distracted Driving, recently announced the results of a new poll, which shows that nearly two-thirds of Georgia voters favor a hands-free driving law in Georgia. A total of 66.4 percent of Georgia voters support such a law, and 21.9 percent of Georgians are undecided on the matter. 

“I’m encouraged to see that the majority of Georgia voters are supportive of a hands-free driving law in our state,” said Rep. Carson. “Last year alone, over 1,500 people died in automobile accidents on Georgia roads, and according to a recent poll, over 82 percent of Georgia voters believe that texting while driving is a major contributing factor to the increased number of auto accidents. Distracted diving is an extremely serious public safety concern, and it is absolutely essential that this issue is addressed in the 2018 General Assembly session to prevent further distracted driving-related car crashes and fatalities.”

During the 2017 legislative session, Rep. Carson sponsored House Resolution 282, which created the House Study Committee on Distracted Driving. Since its establishment, the ten-member study committee has examined whether changes to state law may help reduce instances of distracted driving.  This study committee has concluded its meetings, and Rep. John Carson plans to issue the study committee’s report at the end of December.

The final report, including our committee’s recommendations, can be found here: http://www.house.ga.gov/Committees/en-US/DistractedDriving.aspx

The poll also found that a hands-free law has bi-partisan support. According to the survey, 72.4 percent of Georgia Republican voters and 64.5 percent of Georgia Democrat voters say they would support a statewide hands-free driving law. Undecided Republican voters were 19.1 percent of their party, and undecided Democrats were 23.5 percent of their party.

The poll was conducted by Landmark Communications, Inc. of Alpharetta, Georgia. From Oct. 7 – 8, 700 randomly selected active Georgia voters were surveyed by telephone. The margin of error for the survey is 3.7 percent. The survey was weighted by party affiliation, gender, race and age to reflect the likely demographic composition of a Georgia general election.

For more information on HR 282, please click here.

Representative John Carson represents the citizens of District 46, which includes portions of Cherokee and Cobb counties. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2011, and currently serves as the Vice Chairman on the Appropriations, Energy, Utilities, & Telecommunications, and Intragovernmental Coordination committees, and Secretary on the Insurance Committee. He also serves on the Transportation and Ways & Means committees and is a member of the Military Affairs working group.

The post Hands-free Legislation on-tap for the 2018 Georgia Legislature appeared first on Safe Kids Georgia.