COLUMBUS – No more pencils, no more books. Summer vacation is a joyous time of freedom for school-age children, but it’s also a prime season for injuries as those kids take to playgrounds, swimming pools, bikes and other warm-weather pastimes.
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Safety officials say cases of injuries tend to peak from May through August for children ages 14 and younger, so they are urging parents to take extra precautions.
According to the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Medical Services, 18,033 Ohio children 15 years old and younger were taken to hospitals during recent years, 34 percent of whom had suffered some kind of injury. Of those, 1,645 were admitted to hospitals for longer than 48 hours for treatment.
Nationally, 3 million children are taken to emergency rooms during the summer after suffering serious injuries in motor vehicle and bicycle crashes, in falls or from other hazards, such as drowning, the number one accidental killer of children under five years of age.
The EMS Division encourages parents and caregivers to discuss lawnmower safety, swimming safety, and pedestrian safety with kids and offers some tips to avoiding the more common injuries:
Ride Safe – Secure children in the appropriate child safety seat or seat belt for their age and size. Kids should always be secured in the back seat. Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, especially during the warmer months.
Swim Safe – Always supervise young children near water and insist children wear personal flotation devices when on boats, near open bodies of water or participating in water sports.
Wheel Safe – Make sure kids wear properly fitting protective gear every time they ride their bikes, scooters, ATVs or skateboards. Teach children the rules of the road.
Walk Safe – Never let a child under age 10 cross the street alone. Teach children to obey traffic rules. Make sure kids wear retro-reflective materials, and don’t let them walk alone at night. If they must walk at dawn or at dusk, make sure they carry a flashlight.
Play Safe – Always supervise children at playgrounds or in the backyard. Make sure they play on a safe surface, such as mulch, rubber or fine sand.
Source: Ohio Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Medical Services