Volume 25 Issue 48                                                                                   Fall 2022

Safety Source

                      Thank you for being part of the Safety Source family!

       Halloween Safety Edition

 Our October monthly newsletter highlights Halloween Safety, Fall Child Passenger Safety Tips, Fire Prevention, Safe Sleep, Teen Driver Safety and School Bus Safety. There are interactive tools for your children to learn what to do in case of a fire and a fun video that shows how to be safe on Halloween. 

 There is also a fall craft! We hope this is a fun way to start autumn as a family. Let us know if we can be a resource to you in any way!

Will your family be participating in Halloween festivities or fall parties this year? According to Safe Kids Worldwide, on average, twice as many children are hit by a car and killed on Halloween than any other day of the year. Be aware of the dangers. Consumer Reports offers some great tips for drivers to keep kids safe on or around Halloween:

• Drive slowly in and around neighborhoods and on residential streets, even if you do not see trick-or-treaters around.
• Do not drink and drive. Drunk driving incidents increase on Halloween. NHTSA reports that 41 percent of all people killed in motor vehicle crashes on Halloween night from 2014 to 2018 were in crashes involving drunk driving. About one-third of all crash fatalities in the U.S. involve drunk drivers, according to NHTSA.
• Watch for children who may dart out into the street, and always yield to pedestrians. If you see one child, there are likely to be more ready to cross.
• If you are driving children around for trick-or-treating, make sure they’re buckled up appropriately in a child safety seat or with a seat belt. Make sure they buckle up each time they enter the car and check to make sure they are secure before you drive to the next stop.
• Pull over at safe locations to let children exit at the curb and away from traffic. Use your hazard lights to alert other drivers of your car.
• Try to park in a spot where you will not need to back up. But if you must, have an adult outside to make sure no children are in the way of your vehicle when you do.
• Do not use a cell phone or other mobile device while driving. Pull over safely to check voice messages or texts, if necessary.

Safe Kids Worldwide adds to be aware of popular trick or treating times between 5:30pm and 9:30pm. Always give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination so you are not in a rush and can take these important safety precautions. We hope all can enjoy a safer Halloween this year!

Sources:

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/smart-road-tips-for-halloween-car-safety/

https://www.safekids.org/press-release/10-easy-things-you-can-do-keep-kids-safe-halloween

Pumpkins, leaves changing colors, and apple cider are some of the best things about fall. Fall is a great time to enjoy cooler weather with family. Many families start to spend more time outside enjoying the weather and changing of seasons. With each change of season, it can be a great time to review child passenger safety information specific to that season. Below are a few child passenger safety tips to remember specifically during the changeover to Fall:

• As the weather gets cooler, children will be wearing more jackets and coats. Experts at Safe Kids Worldwide remind it is important to always remove your child's coat before placing the child in the car seat to ensure the harness straps are tightly against the child’s chest.

• You can use a jacket or blanket to cover the child’s feet and legs once they have been safely placed in the car seat with the harness straps secured.

• When dressing up for Halloween, it is important the costume does not interfere with the car seat. The harness straps and chest clip should be tightly secured across the child’s chest.

• You can use the pinch test to ensure the harness straps are tight enough. When you grab the harness straps at the shoulder, you should not be able to grab more than one inch of material. If you can grab more than an inch, the straps need to be tightened. Check out this video for a demonstration: Pinch Test Video

• It may be best to pack the costume and change into it once you arrive at your destination to prevent extra fabric from getting in the way of harness straps.

• Make sure all parts of the costume are in the vehicle and not accidentally caught in the car doors.

Sources:

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/smart-road-tips-for-halloween-car-safety/

https://www.safekids.org/blog/ask-expert-winter-coats-and-car-seats

https://www.buckleupforlife.org/riding-safely/how-to-check/

This year, National Fire Prevention Week will take place from October 9^th to October 15^th. That means this week is the perfect time to review your fire prevention plan and make sure you are following several simple steps to keep yourself and your family safe. Fires can break out at any time, and during a fire, you may have as little as two minutes to escape. For that reason, it is important to regularly check that your smoke alarm is working and to go over your fire escape plan with everyone in the family. Keep reading for more tips from the American Red Cross and the National Home Security Alliance on how to practice fire safety in your home:

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.
• Test smoke alarms every month. If they’re not working, change the batteries.
• Talk with all family members about a fire escape plan and practice the plan twice a year.
• If a fire occurs in your home, GET OUT, STAY OUT and CALL FOR HELP. Never go back inside for anything or anyone.
• Never leave flames unattended.
• Unplug items you are not using from outlets.
• Get your furnace looked at regularly and schedule maintenance immediately when needed.
• Keep all oils and gases away from flames and sparks.
• Turn off all heated appliances when you leave the house.

Remember as the weather is getting cooler winter months are the peak time for fire-related deaths and protecting your family from home fires involves planning. Keep your loved ones safe and talk about fire prevention this month!

Sources:

“Home Fire Safety.” Home Fire Prevention & Safety Tips , American Red Cross, https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/fire.html

National Home Security Alliance: How To Prevent Fire In Your Home - StaySafe.org

NSC, Injury Facts: Deaths by Month - Data Details - Injury Facts (nsc.org)

Any new parent will probably agree that one of the major difficulties they face in their child’s first year is sleep deprivation. As parents navigate this new experience and work towards developing a schedule to help their child get a full night’s rest, it is important that this plan also take into consideration the safe sleeping practices released by the American Academy of Pediatrics to ensure that not only is the baby sleeping through the night but doing so safely as well. These evidence-based tips have been shown to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other causes of sleep-related infant death, including accidental suffocation. Be sure to keep these practices in mind to protect your family or share with those around you with young kids:

• Place infants on their backs for sleep in their own sleep space with no other people.

• Use a crib or bassinet with a firm, flat mattress, and a fitted sheet.

• Avoid sleep on a couch or armchair or in a seating device, like a swing or child safety seat (except while riding in the car).

• Keep loose blankets, pillows, stuffed toys, bumpers, and other soft items out of the sleep space.

• Breastfeed if possible and avoid smoking.

If you have any questions about or need assistance in implementing these tips, your child’s pediatrician is a great resource. They are trained to support families by educating and providing guidelines to encourage safe sleep practices. These tips and additional resources can also be found at https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/safe-sleep/ .

Sources:

“Safe Sleep for Babies.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 Nov. 2018, https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/safesleep/index.html.

American Academy of Pediatrics: https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/safe-sleep/

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens (15-18 years old) in the United States, ahead of all other types of injury, disease, or violence.¹ In 2019, there were 2,042 people killed in crashes involving a teen driver, of which 628 deaths were the teen driver.¹ October 16^th-22^nd is National Teen Driver Safety Week. Parents, this is a great time to review the rules of the road with your teen. Talk to your teen about driving laws and the expectations you have for them.

Be sure to review these safety tips with your teen:

• Seat belt use- Drivers should always wear a seatbelt and require their passengers to do the same.

• No distractions- Distracted driving isn’t limited to just to cell phone use. Distracted driving can include eating and drinking, navigating the GPS system, changing the radio station, and being distracted by the vehicle’s passengers. Encourage your teen to focus on the road and to not attempt to multitask. Taking eyes off the road for as little as five seconds while driving at a speed of 55 miles per hour is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field without looking.

• Speeding- Teens are more likely to be involved in a speeding related crash than an adult due to their driving inexperience. Drivers can receive as little as one and as many as eight points on their license for speeding over the printed speed zone. Teen drivers should be aware that if they’ve accumulated more than six points on their license, they will not be able to receive a Tennessee Intermediate Unrestricted Driver license.

• Limit Passengers- Multiple passengers in the car for an inexperienced teen driver can be incredibly distracting. Graduated Driver Licensing laws limit the number of passengers allowed at one time.

• Cell phone use- Talk to your teen about safe cell phone use while in the car. Encourage them to store away their phones while driving, designate someone to text for you, or to pull over before answering phone calls or responding to text messages. If the driver is under 18, he/she cannot use a wireless device at all, not even with a Bluetooth headset or speaker. This includes talking to a digital assistant like Siri or OK Google. Remember, drivers under the age of 18, cannot make or answer calls while driving (hand-held or hands-free).

• The Tennessee Hands Free Law was enacted on July 1st, 2019, to reduce distracted driving. Public Chapter No. 412 is the official name for the Hands-Free Law. Parents, the Tennessee Hands Free Law applies to you. This law makes it illegal for a driver to hold a cell phone or mobile device with any part of their body. This includes to:

•  Write, send, or read any text-based communication which can include instant messages, text messages, email, or internet data on wireless communications.
• Reach for a cellphone or mobile device in a manner that requires the driver to no longer be in a seated driving position or properly restrained by a seat belt. 
• Watch a video or movie on a cellphone or mobile device, other than GPS.

• Record or broadcast video on a cellphone or mobile device
• If the driver is 18 years of age or older, he or she may be able to use an earpiece or headphone device.

Parents have the biggest impact on their child’s driving experience. Remember to be a good role model for your teen driver and set an example with your own safe driving habits.

Source:

1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
2. Hands Free Tennessee
3. TN Traffic Safety

The third week in October is National School Bus Safety Week. Did you know students are about 70 times more likely to get to school safely when taking a bus instead of traveling by car (2)? A school bus is the safest form of transportation and over 25 million children ride the bus to school (1). There is more danger around the bus for your child than riding the bus. Help keep your children safe by following these school bus safety tips:

Walking to the Bus Stop:

• Walk with your young kids to the bus stop and wait with them until it arrives. Make sure drivers can see the kids at your bus stop.
• Practice good pedestrian behavior: walk on the sidewalk, and if there is no sidewalk stay out of the street. If you must walk in the street, walk single file, face traffic, and stay as close to the edge of the road as you can.

At the Bus Stop:

• Teach kids to stand at least three giant steps back from the curb as the bus approaches and board the bus one at a time.
• Do not let children play in the street. Playing with balls or other toys that could roll into the street is also dangerous.
• Have children wait in a location where the driver can see them while driving down the street. Try to avoid waiting in a house or car.

Getting On and Off the Bus:

• Teach kids to wait for the school bus to come to a complete stop before getting off and not to walk behind the bus.
• If you meet your child at the bus stop after school, wait on the side where the child will be dropped off, not across the street. Children can be so excited to see you after school that they dash across the street and forget the safety rules.
• Remind children to look to the right before they step off the bus.

By practicing the above safety tips you can help keep your children safe on and around the school bus this school year.

1. https://www.napt.org/files/NSBSW/Bus%20Stop%20Safety%20Tips-2016update.pdf
2. https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-bus-safety
3. https://www.safekids.org/safetytips/field_risks/school-bus-safety