Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer for the U.S., a.k.a our excuse to lengthen the summer season. Summer brings longer sunlight days, warmer weather, outdoor activities and vacations. We want to enjoy these benefits of summer but also need to think about some safety tips to make sure the memories of summer are fond, not tragic.
- Never leave a young child in a car unattended. Also, remember to lock your car doors when your car is in your driveway. Safe Kids Worldwide put out an alert last week of the 5th heatstroke death of 2014. The boy tragically passed away May 3rd, four days after being found in his car seat in the family car outside his home in Bakersfield, CA. The boy, who suffered from autism, wandered away from his grandparents’ supervision and climbed into the car. This is now the second time this year that a child has gained entry to a vehicle on its own and then died. Watch this simulation from Safe Kids Worldwide about how quickly the temperature in a car can increase.
- Never leave your pet in a car on hot days.
- Always wear certified helmets when doing activities that involve moving faster than you can run: biking, roller skating; skateboarding or horseback riding are a few.
- Watch children around the pool, young ones are certainly at risk for drowning if they can't swim and older ones are at risk for serious injury while attempting to impress their friends with jumping on a moving raft or other unsafe activities.
- If your child is going to camp this summer, ask the staff what their safety policies are and inspect the camp yourself for any hazards.
- Be aware of how much time you spend out in the yard working and ensure you don't get dehydrated or sunburnt. If your pets are outside with you, put out a bowl of water in the shade and make sure they have a place in the shade to rest.
- If you are entertaining this summer, keep the food on ice or refrigerated as long as possible before serving and follow the general guideline of not having food sit out for more than 3 hours.
- Keep an eye on the weather at home and on vacation so you aren't ambushed by a dangerous summer storm.
For more safety tips, see
Safe Kids website. If you are involved in Montgomery County, MD and would like to either find a local event where safety topics will be displayed, have your car seat checked or join the local chapter of Safe Kids, click
here.
