Florida Child Injury Law Blog

Archive for October, 2010

AAA officials remind motorists and parents to be diligent about child pedestrian safety on Halloween. There are 4 times as many fatal accidents among children aged 5 - 14 on Halloween compared to the same time period on other evenings during the year.

As a Child Pedestrian Injury Attorney, I urge parents to discuss safe pedestrian rules with their children.

Motorists, please exercise more caution and observe speed limits while driving on Halloween.

Read more child pedestrian safety tips on Halloween here.

Teen drivers and cars can be a deadly combination. We all know this. And it’s National Teen Driver Safety Week so here’s some new info.

Statistics on teens and distracted driving is a topic we often cover on our Clearwater Car Accident lawyer website to raise public awareness. It is the hope of our personal injury law firm that by posting local crash reports as well as information about safety and injury prevention information, we can reduce the number of serious injuries suffered in a car crash.

Here’s another teen driver study, this one by the University of Texas at Austin. They looked at the relationship between time of day, number of passengers, kind of vehicle and seriousness of  injuries in teen car crashes. Some of  the data you might find surprising!

• Teen age drinking and driving is the deadliest combination.
• Driving a pickup puts teens at a far greater risk of injury than driving a car. (A more powerful engine appears to lead to more aggressive driving.)
• Driving with one young passenger is riskier than driving alone or with two teens in a vehicle.
• Drivers are more aggressive during morning rush hour.
• 16 and 17 year old drivers are more likely to drive aggressively than young people age  18-20 years.

Jim  Dodson and our Clearwater Car Accident Law Firm reminds you to wear white today to White Out Teen Crashes, in support of National Teen Driver Safety Week.

If you find yourself in the awful position of needing helpful  information after your child has suffered a serious injury, request a complimentary copy of my book, “When Kids Suffer Big Injuries” here.

Our Clearwater Car Accident Lawyer website often reports on local news related to car crashes to raise public awareness. Fatal car crashes involving teens are extremely tragic. This week a 16 year-old Homosassa teen died in a car wreck in Crystal River. The 17 year-old driver lost control of the vehicle. Another fatal crash this month, involved a 17 year-old driver who was killed after losing control of his SUV near Florida International University’s south campus. He was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from his vehicle.

 National Teen Driver Safety Week is observed Oct. 17-23. It’s a week, that nationwide, we raise awareness and educate parents and teens about staying safe behind the wheel. Fatal car crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for teens age 15-20. No one wants to see teens with their whole life ahead of them die, particularly when the cause of death is preventable.

 The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is encouraging all Floridians to participate in a statewide White Out as part of the week’s activities. You can show your support by wearing a white shirt on Oct. 19, 2010, to help white out teen crashes.

 Florida Traffic Crash Statistics 2009 Reports:

• 772,910 teens are licensed to drive in the Sunshine State.
• 29,485 crashes involved teens last year.
• 153 teens died.
• 19,292 teens were injured in car wrecks.

 As a Clearwater Car Accident Lawyer and strong advocate for child injury prevention, I remind you take time with your teen driver during National Teen Driver Safety Week to check and review safe driving habits. Don’t assume because your teen has taken a driver’s education course that they are driving safely.

 To keep teens safe in the driver and passenger seat, visit these websites:

 www.TakeTheWheel.net, an interactive website by teens for teens

www.teendriverssource.org

www.edmunds.com , How to Crash Proof Your Teen

www.flhsmv.gov/teens/booklets/FLDriversGuide_09.pdf, a booklet to educate teens and parents about the importance of parental involvement in teaching teens to drive

The National Fire Protection Association reports preschoolers and kindergarteners are most likely to start fires and die in them while playing with matches, lighters, and other heat sources.

National Fire Prevention Week  is a good time to focus on fire safety in the home. Check or install smoke alarms in your homes, change batteries if needed, have an escape plan in the event there is an emergency fire and talk to your kids about fire safety – in language they can understand.

An excellent teaching tool for young children is “Brecker Bunny Asks for Help – A Lesson in Fire Safety,” by Hilary Bilbery and Safe Kids. “Brecker” helps out by teaching kids to tell an adult if they see matches or lighter or other things that might cause a fire around the house. Here are some startling facts about children and fire:

• In 2006, children playing with fire started an estimated 14,500 structure fires that were reported to U.S. fire departments, causing an estimated 130 civilian deaths, 810 civilian injuries and $328 million in direct property damage.
• Nearly two-thirds (63%) of all fatal victims of fires by playing are children 5 years old and younger.
• Nearly two out of every three child-playing fires — and four out of five deaths and injuries — involve matches or lighters.
• The items ignited by home fire-play are principally mattresses, bedding or clothing (NFPA)

Fire Prevention Reminders:

1. Store matches and lighters out of children’s reach and sight, up high, preferably in a locked cabinet.
2. Never use lighters or matches as a source of amusement for children; they may imitate you.
3. If your child expresses curiosity about fire or has been playing with fire, calmly but firmly explain that matches and lighters are tools for adults only.

Clearwater Child Burn Injury Lawyer James W. Dodson, child safety advocate and your online resource for health, safety and legal information.

This week is Fire Prevention Week - an important time to be reminded of fire safety in our homes. On average, 436 children die each year from fire-related injuries in the home. The likelihood of fatal injuries suffered in a fire is reduced by one half  in homes where families have working smoke alarms installed, compared to those who do not.

The theme for 2010 is “Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With.”

Safe Kids USA has some important safety reminders for us during Fire Prevention Week:

• Put a smoke alarm on every level of your home, outside each sleeping area, and in every bedroom.
• Smoke alarms can be battery-operated or electrically hardwired in your home and are available at a variety of price points.
• If you have hearing problems, use alarms with flashing strobe lights and vibration.
• Test your smoke alarms at night to see if your child will wake up and respond to the alarm. Children sleep more deeply and may not wake up. If your child does not wake up to the alarm, try an alarm where you can program your voice to alert him or her.
• Mount smoke alarms high on walls or ceilings since smoke rises. Ceiling-mounted alarms should be installed at least 4 inches away from the nearest wall. Wall-mounted alarms should be installed 4 to 12 inches away from the ceiling.
• Replace all smoke alarms every 10 years.
• Consider installing both ionization alarms, which are better at sensing flaming fires, and photoelectric alarms, which are better at sensing slow, smoky fires, or dual sensor alarms.

Clearwater Child Burn Injury Lawyer James Dodson, your online resource for health, safety and legal consumer information and author of “When Kids Suffer Big Injuries,” available free to Florida residents @ 1-888-340-0840.