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Seat Belt Laws and Enhanced Safety Enforcement

Seat belts are arguably the most protective safety measure a person can take to avoid serious injury or death when involved in a motor vehicle crash. The simple use of a safety restraint cuts the risk of death and significant injury for drivers and other front-seat passengers by nearly 50%, and rear-seat occupants by upwards of 25%. Proper car safety seat use has led to a 60% reduction in deaths in the last fifty years. Equipping new motor vehicles with seat belts has been a requirement in the U.S. since 1968. Sixteen years later, the first mandatory seat belt law was passed in New York State. Since then, seat belt usage rates have steadily increased. In the early 1990’s, the

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3 (possible) reasons school buses don’t have seat belts

A school bus in Chattanooga, Tennessee, slammed into a tree last November. Six elementary school students died. And across the U.S., everyone asked: Why don’t school buses have seat belts? Now, 18 states—including Washington—are considering laws requiring schools to add safety belts to their buses. In Washington, a proposed bill would mandate that all new school buses have a safety belt for each bus rider. Others would require all existing school buses to be retrofitted with safety belts. Here’s why school buses don’t have seat belts. #1: It is expensive. Olympia School District estimated that adding 3-point safety belts (like those in cars) would cost $10,000 per bus. That district has 35 buses. The state of Washington has 200 school districts. State Rep. Gina McCabe (R-Goldendale) suggested

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Drivers on alert: it’s back-to-school time

It’s a dangerous time of year: during the summer, drivers fall out of the habit of slowing down in school zones, and stopping for buses. Every driver – not just parents – needs to stay alert behind the wheel. Do not text or use your cell phone while driving. Buses are back in traffic. Yes, they drive slowly and make a lot of stops. It’s illegal to pass a bus with flashing lights, and relatively dangerous to pass a bus on any street. Watch for other stopped cars. One vehicle stops at a pedestrian crosswalk, and people start to cross the street—but the car in the next lane doesn’t stop. Some of the worst pedestrian injuries I’ve ever seen have

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Easy ways to make your home safer today – Summer Safety

Spend 5 minutes in a medication sweep. 60,000 kids end up in an ER every year after getting into medicine. Take a few minutes and assess: Is all of the medicine in a cabinet or container? It’s easy to forget a bottle on the kitchen counter, or next to a sick child’s bed: do a clean sweep. Can small children reach the medicine cabinet? If so, make it inaccessible. Don’t task your children with bringing you any medicine, or taking any without supervision. Vitamins, too – it’s not hard for a kid to eat too many and get sick. Do you have the Poison Control number saved? It’s 800-222-1222. Save it in your phone, and write it down at home.

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5 Tips for Safe Summer Sports

About 4 million kids will sustain an injury from sports this year. Most of these injuries are preventable. 1. Check the gear. Are the shoes fitted and comfortable? Does the activity call for shin guards, elbow pads, or a helmet? Biking, skating and skateboarding are responsible for about half of sports head injuries: Safe Kids explains the quick 3-point helmet check in this video. 2. Stretch. Stretching before and after strenuous exercise is one of the most effective ways to prevent injury. Kids think this part is boring – find videos for the stretches needed for their sport. 3. Sweat-proof, waterproof sunscreen. Sunburn affects the body’s natural ability to cool down. This leads to serious heat-related illnesses – heat cramps,

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Summer Safety for July 4: forget the sparklers

Fireworks (and burn injuries) If you are setting off fireworks this weekend, it is your responsibility to keep people safe. Your ignition area should be clear of trees and branches, and point away from buildings. Light fireworks one at a time. Have a bucket of water ready, and a hose nearby. Never re-light a dud. One more note on fireworks: sparklers are the most dangerous. They cause about 20% of fireworks injuries, and some of the most serious burn injuries to children. It makes sense: there’s no other situation in which it is acceptable to give a small child a stick burning at 1200 degrees or more. It’s not OK on July 4, either. Burn treatment Most people who

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Seat Belt Laws and Enhanced Safety Enforcement

3 (possible) reasons school buses don’t have seat belts

Drivers on alert: it’s back-to-school time

Easy ways to make your home safer today – Summer Safety

5 Tips for Safe Summer Sports

Summer Safety for July 4: forget the sparklers

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