Tag Archives: injury risk

General Safety Issues

Five Common Car Seat Misuses (Guest Post)

 Submitted by Sophie Leake, of aupaircare.net

In September 2012 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released the findings of its National Child Restraint Use Special Study, a national sur­vey of child restraint system use in children from birth to age 8.  The study revealed five significant and common car seat mistakes.

These included:

1. Using the wrong harness slot. When it comes to car seat harnesses, best practice dictates that in rear-facing seats the slots at or below the child’s shoulders should be used. For forward-facing seats, the slots at or above the child’s shoulders should be used. According to the study, when the wrong slots are used it can increase the risk of excessive excursion.

2. Improper chest clip positioning. The proper place for the chest clip to be positioned is at armpit level. When the chest clip is positioned over the abdomen, down by the crotch, or not used at all it can also increase the risk of departure from the seat.

3. Loose installation. Car seats should not move more than one inch front to back or side-to-side across the belt path. Loose installation may allow for excessive movement of the seat which could increase the risk of injury.

4. Loose harness straps. The harness straps of a child’s car seat should be snug and there should be no slack when pinched at the child’s shoulder. Loose straps not only can result in a greater risk of excessive excursion, but can increase the risk of ejection and injury.

5. Improper belt positioning in booster seats. When riding in a booster seat, the lap belt should lie snugly across the child’s thighs, not across the stomach, and the shoulder belt should lie snugly across the shoulder, and not the child’s neck, chest, or face. Improper positioning of seatbelts can increase the risk of excessive excursion and abdominal injury.

The study also cited that one in five parents do not read any instructions when installing their child’s car seat. Reading the car seat installation manual carefully can help prevent critical misuses that can increase the risk of injury in the event of a motor vehicle crash.

SafeKids and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator encourage everyone to conduct an at-home car seat safety check.  In addition to reading the car seat installation manual, parents and caregivers should be sure that:

1. The child is in the right seat for his age, weight, and height.

2. The car seat is placed in the back seat and that all children under the age of 13 ride in the back seat.

3. Children use rear-facing car seats for as long as possible, until he outgrows the seat.

4. The installed seat can’t be moved more than one inch front to back or side-to-side along the belt path.

5. The child’s harness is in the correct slots and that, when in use, they’re adjusted snugly with the chest clip at armpit level. Parents and caregivers should not be able to pinch the straps at the child’s shoulder once he’s properly fastened in.

When it comes to car seat safety, parents and caregivers must be on the same page. An agreement to follow best practices should be made and parents and caregivers should commit to ensuring that all passengers are properly secured in an appropriate car seat restraint system at all times.

Reading manuals is one thing that we all usually say, ” If all else fails, read the manual.”  In this case, as instructed, the first thing you should do is read the manual and follow instructions.  As a grandmother, I never was good at hooking up those carseats, but the parents knew how and did it correctly.  And the grandkids wouldn’t let me start the car until they were buckled up!  Their parents did a good job in teaching them the importance of seat belts. pb

General Safety Issues, Head Protection, High Visibility Safety

HOW TO ELIMINATE THE RISK OF INJURY WHEN RIDING A BIKE (GUEST POST)

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 Bicycling is usually a very common mode of travelling among children and teenagers, as it is inexpensive and environment friendly. Today apart from being a common mode of transportation for many across the world, it is also a world famous sport. Risk of injury is involved in every sport be it swimming, running, riding and so on and bicycling is no different. The amount of risk involved in cycling on the road is greater than any other sport, that is played within a boundary. Hence, it becomes all the way more  important to take a few measures of safety before indulging yourself in cycling. 

No matter if you are a trained cyclist, or a regular cycle commuter, this article is specifically written for you to prevent you from unexpected and undesired circumstances. It is necessary to take necessary precautions to prevent injuries. Small injuries can heal quickly, but serious ones heal may take long to recover or sometimes never heal. This could result in many undesired circumstances which is dreaded by every person. Prevention is better than cure should be the mantra of every one.  

 Safety Tips for Riding a Bicycle 

Wear a Helmet

  • ●        The golden rule – always wear a helmet that is approved by consumer product safety commission, while riding a bike.
  • ●        Never leave your straps unlocked.
  • ●        Always wear a  cotton hat underneath the helmet.
  • ●        If your old helmet is all broken then buy a new helmet.
  • ●        One should never compromise on the safety standards while buying a helmet. 

Wear Proper Clothes

  • ●        It is very important to wear a proper and comfortable clothes while bicycling.
  • ●        One should not wear loose pants as they can get stuck in the bicycle.
  • ●        Do not listen to music while riding as this could distract you from listening  to the traffic sounds.
  • ●        Always wear shoes, instead of sandals, and flat slippers while riding a bicycle , as this could damage your ankle.  

Check Your Brakes

  • ●        Always check your brakes before riding a bike.
  • ●        Make sure the brake wire is not loose.
  • ●        Get the tyre pressure and bicycle chain checked everyday, or at least twice in a week. 

Follow The Traffic and Road Rules

  • ●        While riding a bicycle always check for traffic signals, people crossing the roads, puddles, wet grounds, gravels, rains and storms.
  • ●        Do not speed up in crowded places as this could not only harm them but also you.
  • ●        Non-compliance of the traffic rules will not only harm you but also land you in jail.
  • ●        Obey traffic, as well as road rules to avoid major injuries, road accidents and other destruction. 

Do Not Ride At Night

  • ●        Avoid riding a bike at night as much as possible as you are not visible to car and truck drivers, which increases your chances of serious accidents.
  • ●        If necessary ride with bicycle lights and reflectors on your clothes or bike. 

Follow the above mentioned rules and preventive measures to avoid any kind of mishappening. Taking necessary precautions will not only save you, but will also let you enjoy your fun time without any unnecessary stress and hassles. Click here to know more in this context. 

Happy Cycling!

Author Bio:

Sachin is a freelance writer who writes on different topics such as health and safety.  He has published more than 500 articles about various topics.  You can Click Here to visit his website.  He loves to travel and make new friends.