#HelmetSelfie Project

Even though football is now officially over until the fall, there are recreational and sports activities all year long that can be safer by wearing a helmet. During the winter months, it’s important to wear helmets while skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling.



Did you know head and face injuries can be reduced by nearly 50 percent if you wear a helmet? Read the rest of the blog at our new site - https://saveinjuredkids.org/blog/helmetselfie-project/

Kids and Cars by Dr. Meredith

Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death from injury in children. It’s more than 50 percent of all pediatric trauma injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The number of deaths spike sharply as kids approach getting their driver's license. There's a great deal we can do in terms of preventing deaths and injuries. Those prevention strategies include driver's license strategies, drinking and driving strategies, automobile design and safety strategies, all of which have been effective and need to significant resources investments to continue and improve.

It is safer on our highways than it's ever been before. Per vehicle mile driven there are fewer deaths both in children and in everyone else. Nonetheless, it will be a long, long time before we eliminate motor vehicle crashes as a cause of injury or a cause of death.

Until that time occurs, another strategy that needs to be implemented is the development of trauma systems so that kids who are injured in crashes can be identified. Researchers are working on automatic crash notification systems that will identify if people are likely to have significant injuries in them and notify the system automatically.

You think about commercials of cars that look for the crash potentials, automatically slow down and proactively help the driver. It is equally possible for a car to sense how severe a crash is and automatically notify folks, from notification through the response. Once EMS is notified, they need to have localized people who can get to crashes quickly. When they arrive they need to have the training, expertise and equipment that is necessary to recognize and treat the injuries. 

In addition to funding crash notification research, the Childress Institute is committed to developing and providing training programs for all health care professionals. Surgeons, who treat mostly adults, need extra help in knowing how to treat kids. It's not as common and it's so emotionally charged which makes it difficult. The same thing is true for paramedics. They need that training and we're committed to developing it and disseminating educational programs for first responders. 

When an injury occurs, we need a good trauma system that can recognize kids with triage protocols. Responders need to comprehend who has injuries that require trauma center care and have ready access to get to trauma centers.

There are not enough trauma centers or pediatric trauma centers in our country. There's not enough coordination of the children's hospitals with the trauma centers and the trauma systems in our country. The Childress institute is working very hard to foster the development of more children's hospitals becoming trauma centers. We have worked very hard to support the Pediatric Trauma Society, which is a group of professionals whose goal is to further the knowledge and develop trauma systems and improve trauma centers.

The last piece of the puzzle is the actual care of injury victims and understanding more. So much of the treatment for these high energy crashes and the injuries that occur in them comes from extrapolation of injuries that occur in adults and the way we treat them. The research that is necessary to figure out the best way to treat specific injuries in children has not yet been done. And it must be.

The Childress Institute has already funded research investigating the relationship of shock and head injury, which are the top two causes of death from trauma in children from car crashes. The outcomes of this research could be revolutionary for the treatment of injured children. It's full impact and how generalizable that is, needs further research. We need to be at the forefront of helping get that done and we need funding to help us make that kind of research a reality. Then after we develop new knowledge, we need better tools to disseminate that knowledge to the caregivers in our country.

Currently it takes sometimes ten years for new knowledge to become the standard of care widely used. We need to shorten that cycle time. Can you imagine the cycle time of learning to develop a new way of setting up the shock absorbers for a certain race track? If that took ten years, many teams would be extinct. You have to make these turnarounds at least every week. Health care needs to get there and trauma leaders need to forge the path.

- Dr. J. Wayne. Meredith, Medical Advisor, Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma

Fire Safety Saves Kids' Lives by Pamela Elliott

Life-saving fire sprinklers should be more prevalent

While on my flight to speak at a fire safety event, an article caught my attention. It was titled “U.S Requires New Cars to Have Backup Cameras.” My first thought was there must be a huge problem if the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is requiring new cars to have backup cameras. Then I was somewhat surprised to read that there are nearly 210 backover deaths each year. About a third of those deaths are children, and many of these accidents are caused by parents. The article stated that rear-facing cameras would save between 59 and 69 deaths a year.

By contrast, the United States Fire Administration reports that fire kills 3,400 and injures 17,500 people each year. I was burned as a young child in a house fire. As such, I am acutely aware of the number of people who needlessly die or are injured in fires.

I sat on that flight with many mixed feelings. As a fire safety advocate, I’m excited any time a safety measure that will save even just one life is enacted. However, as a burn survivor, I felt frustrated and angry that similar safety measures haven’t been implemented in homes to prevent fires. What makes me even angrier is that the technology to prevent these deaths and injuries exists—they're called fire sprinklers. It’s taken quite a few decades to install them in new homes at a very slow rate.

NHTSA is to be highly commended and applauded for their public safety efforts. Since its inception, seatbelts have saved 280,000 lives and air bags have saved 28,000 lives. Now another safety device will be added to cars to prevent even more deaths.

Because of my past, I investigated how many children die in fires. I looked at the FEMA report “Fire Risk to Children 2010.” In 2010, 357 children died in fires. That’s about five times more children than those killed in backover deaths annually. The children most likely to die or be injured are newborns through age four -- those who can’t escape by themselves. If those statistics don’t grab at your heartstrings, I don’t know what would.

Anthony Foxx, United States Secretary of Transportation, said in the article, “Safety is our highest priority, and we are committed to protecting the most vulnerable victims of backover accidents—our children and seniors. As a father, I can only imagine how heart-wrenching these types of accidents can be for families, but we hope that today’s rule will serve as a significant step toward reducing these tragic accidents.”

Sometimes when children die in fires, no body is found. I can’t imagine having to bury a child, but I certainly can’t comprehend not having a body to bury. 

According to the FEMA report, 87% of fire-related casualties to children occurred in homes. That’s 87% of 357 children — 310 children who die in their own homes. We have the capability of saving 310 children a year. The technology exists — it’s a scientific fact that fire sprinklers save lives, reduce property loss and decrease injuries.

There’s no way to comprehend the devastating effects of burn trauma unless it happens to you or a family member. Why do we wait for a horrific event that warrants litigation before we’re compelled to change? Unless prevention becomes the highest priority of the fire service and its advocates, we can expect to continue to see these horrific statistics; this makes me very sad and irate at the same time.

I can only hope that comparing these statistics will somehow motivate fellow safety advocates and the fire service to take action. We need to stand united in the message that fire sprinklers save the lives of both citizens and firefighters.

- Pamela Elliott, RN and fire survivor

Child Passenger Safety Week: Research, Register, and Reach Out to Help Others

As the father of a young son, I know the worries that accompany the joys of parenthood.

As a parent you will always worry. But, there will come a day when you can worry less: maybe once you see a son or daughter graduate college, find career success, or get married. And until then, it’s up to us to keep our children safe.

That’s why we’re reaching out directly to parents and to organizations committed to protecting children about car seat safety as part of Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs from September 14-20. We want everyone to know that protecting children means researching the correct car seat, making sure it’s registered so you’re notified of any safety recalls, and -- if you’re as committed to this issue as we are at NHTSA -- to reaching out and spreading the word about car seat safety on social media this week.

Research.

One of the first purchases for any new parent is a car seat. Your child cannot travel safely unless he or she is restrained in a car seat that is appropriate for your child and that has been been properly installed. But how are parents to know what seat is best? With the help of NHTSA’s new Car Seat Finder every parent or caregiver can quickly and easily identify the type of car seat that will best protect your child. Additionally, our Parents Central Page at SaferCar.gov offers lots of other helpful tips for protecting our kids.

Register.

But our responsibilities don’t end with the selection and purchase of the right car seat or booster seat. In order to be informed of any possible safety recalls your car seat must be registered with the manufacturer. Yet far too many fail to register their seats.

As soon as you bring a new car seat home, immediately mail the postage-paid registration car that comes with it. If you can’t find the card, don’t worry; this web page allows you to register your seat online.

Our “SaferCar” app for iOS -- and the new Android version we recently launched -- also offer access to recall information, NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Ratings, and other helpful information. “Snail mail” also remains a central way to notify Americans of safety recalls, which is why NHTSA recently mandated that all manufacturers use a new, distinctive label on required mailings so that notices aren’t lost among the junk mail.

Reach Out.

If you or your organization wants to help spread the word throughout Child Passenger Safety Week and beyond, we hope you’ll participate in our Twitter chat on September 17. You can follow the chat or participate by using the hashtag #therightseat. You can also enhance your engagement with your followers by using marketing materials we’ve made available to the public at trafficsafetymarketing.gov and sharing brief videos on the topic from our Vine page.

It’s About Keeping Kids Safe in Car Seats

If you want to be sure your car seat or booster seat is safe, or help others protect kids, then remember following steps.

When you hear about a car seat or booster seat recall, be sure to:

·         Find out which models and manufacture dates are involved.

·         Call the manufacturer or visit their Web site for more information and to verify if your car seat or booster seat has been recalled; or

·         Call NHTSA’s toll-free Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

Before you call, have the following information:

·         Manufacturer’s name

·         Model Name

·         Model Number

·         Date of Manufacture

If your car seat is recalled get it fixed right away.

If you don’t have another car seat or booster seat to use, keep using the recalled seat while you wait for the repair kit—if the recall notice says you can. Using a recalled car seat or booster seat is almost always safer than letting a child ride in just a seat belt. Many problems are minor but some are serious. All problems should be fixed as soon as possible.

The Bottom Line is Our Kids’ Safety.

There will come a day when parents can worry less, but until then, it’s up to us to keep our children safe. 

- By David J.Friedman, Acting Administrator, NHTSA

Recognizing Concussions

USA Today recently brought up the topic, “how do families with concussion concerns pick sports?” Although there is much talk in the news about youth football injuries, many other sports pose injury concerns for parents and athletes. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, soccer players have the same percentage of injuries that are concussions as football players. Soccer player Tori Bellucci told her concussion story earlier this year as part of the White House’s summit on concussions and youth sports. The summit shined a spotlight on the nation’s interest in finding new ways to identify, treat and prevent serious head injuries in youth athletes.

After a successful high school soccer career at Huntington High School, Bellucci was offered a full scholarship to play soccer at Towson, but the physical and emotional effects of multiple concussions made her realize the risks of continuing to competitively play the sport she loves. Tori elected not to play soccer in college after she suffered her fifth concussion.

“It changes the way you think and feel,” Bellucci, 18, said. “I was just like really sad, really kind of desperate type of feeling. I couldn’t do anything because of my head, so I would just be in my room with the shades drawn. I was like, ‘I don’t want to live like this anymore.’”

Unfortunately, the effects of initially unrecognized and repeated concussions meant Bellucci’s dream of playing soccer in college ended, but she continues to work hard to recover and remains active in sports by teaching young children how to play soccer. At the summit, President Obama referenced Bellucci’s experience as an example to other young athletes and parents about the commitment ahead of us to change perceptions and improve outcomes.

Safe Kids reports that every three minutes in the U.S., a child is seen in the emergency department for a concussion, yet 54 percent of athletes admit they have played injured. The CDC has great resources for parents and athletes for preventing, recognizing and treating sports injuries.

Signs of a concussion that coaches, athletic trainers and parents may notice:

·         Appears dazed or stunned

·         Is confused about assignment or position

·         Forgets an instruction

·         Is unsure of game, score, or opponent

·         Moves clumsily

·         Answers questions slowly

·         Loses consciousness (even briefly)

·         Shows mood, behavior, or personality changes

·         Can’t recall events prior to hit or fall

·         Can’t recall events after hit or fall

Symptoms that athletes may report:

·         Headache or “pressure” in head

·         Nausea or vomiting

·         Balance problems or dizziness

·         Double or blurry vision

·         Sensitivity to light

·         Sensitivity to noise

·         Feeling sluggish, hazy, foggy, or groggy

·         Concentration or memory problems

·         Confusion

·         Does not “feel right” or is “feeling down”

For an easy reference, visit the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma's easy concussion overview and click the graphic to download and print. For more information and stories from athletes, parents, coaches and athletic trainers, please visit:

• CDC's concussion reference
• CDC's Heads Up program for athletes
  
• CDC's concussion story from a basketball player
  
• A parent's story about concussion in youth athletes
  
• Matthew Gfeller Foundation
  
• Safe Kids' youth sports culture infographic
  
• Safe Kids' sports safety infographic
  
• Safe Kids' Ten Tips for Parents
• USA Today's story on concussions and youth athletes