Florida Child Injury Law Blog

Posts Tagged ‘accidents’

Parents do all they can to protect their kids from injuries in car accidents, playground falls, bicycle crashes, household burns and the list goes on and on. Our children’s safety is our first concern.

But what about internet safety? Is there a plan in place in your home to help keep your children protected from threats to their safety while online? A recent news source reported 54% of young people admitted to engaging in risky online behavior. Internet safety can seem like  an overwhelming task for parents and care givers. We all know there is no substitute for adult supervision but additional resources are out there to help.

Check out www.internetsafety101.org – a website with a wealth of information including “Rules and Tools” – an internet safety checklist, along with other ways to educate and empower yourself to keep your children safe online!

All-Terrain vehicles have been popular since their inception almost forty years ago. 

 Naturally, the risk for accidents involving children is high.  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of 16 be prohibited from operating ATVs.  State by state, regulations differ in terms of restrictions placed towards adolescents.    

 In 2008, 74 children died and another 37,000 had accidents related to ATV’s that required them to go to the emergency room.  These figures actually represent a drop from the previous year.  Rachel Weintraub, director of product safety for Consumer Federation of America isn’t certain what caused the decrease, but said more needs to be done.  “Is it because incidents with recreational off-highway vehicles (ROVs) were taken out of the report; is it because fewer children are riding ATVs that are too large for them; is it because of higher gas prices; or is it because educational efforts are becoming effective?” she asks. “We need to replicate what is going right and do more to reduce these numbers significantly.”

 In Part 2 of this report we will look at ATV safety tips that all families should  follow.