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Child Safety Awareness
by State Representative Vicki
Truitt
Updated
04/12/08 05:22:09 PM
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April 13, 2008,
Southlake, Texas
Child Safety Awareness
by State Representative Vicki Truitt
April is Child Safety Month in Texas. We as fellow
Texans need to act to ensure the safety of our
children. First it’s important to better understand
the problem. Where and when are our kids most
vulnerable?
Motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of
death among children. Securing our kids in age- and
size-appropriate restraint systems can reduce
serious and fatal injuries by more than half.
On Thanksgiving Day, 2006, Fort Worth firefighter
Jeannie Wells buckled her three children in the car.
She felt secure about their safety. Micah, 8,
Carter, 7, and Codi, 6, were buckled in with adult
seat belts, well within the requirements of Texas
law at the time. Unfortunately, this wouldn’t be
enough to protect the Wells’ children.
As Jeannie and her children traveled down the road
she suddenly faced a parent's worst fear. An
18-wheeler swerved into their lane, they were forced
into a guard rail and spun into oncoming traffic.
All three children suffered severe injuries,
including skull fractures, concussions, neck
injuries, pelvic rotations and extreme bruising.
Physicians refer to this constellation of injuries
as “seat belt syndrome.” Nearly all of the
children’s injuries could have been prevented with
the use of booster seats.
Today, Jeannie Wells knows about safety. She
dedicates her life to rescuing others. She knew
about booster seats, but because her children
surpassed the law’s current requirements of car
seats for children under the age of 5 and under 36
inches tall, she assumed they were safe in a seat
belt alone. In a perfect world, no family would
suffer the fear and pain the Wells family felt on
Thanksgiving Day, 2006. Their story, along with your
support, could save more lives than Jeannie can in a
lifetime of fighting fires.
Unintentional accidents claim the lives of thousands
of children each year and remain the leading cause
of death among children ages 14 and under in the
United States. Something as common as riding a
bicycle without a helmet can lead to a permanent
disability or even the death of a child. Children
riding their bicycles are unprotected and not
practicing general safety rules of the road. A
survey of Texas students revealed 92 percent under
age 15 who ride bicycles almost never or rarely wore
a helmet, yet the Centers for Disease Control says
that wearing a helmet can reduce risk of brain
injury by as much as 88 percent. The cost for caring
for an individual with a traumatic brain injury can
be $4 million during his lifetime.
“Awareness and education can make the difference
between life and death,” said Terri Ford, Cook
Children’s Community Health Outreach program
coordinator and Safe Kids coordinator. “It’s
important that parents know basic safety rules for
their children. Children can learn to safely ride a
bicycle, know the rules about crossing the road and
always wear a helmet. They need to make sure their
children are properly buckled in their car seat.
Too often, we learn of a child drowning. Parents can
help with drowning constant, active supervision
their children around the pool, and making sure
their children always wear life jackets, not
inflatables.
Additionally, as the summer months approach and
Texas temperatures rise, kids run the risk of being
left unattended in the vehicle. Nationwide, an
average of 36 children die annually from
hyperthermia as a result of being left in a hot car.
This is tragic and inexcusable.
Fort Worth has a partnership to celebrate Child
Safety Month. Safe Kids Tarrant County led by Cook
Children’s will be at the African American Health
Expo on April 19, 2008, to educate participants on
Child Passenger Safety and Drowning Prevention.
Volunteer members of this coalition are passionate
about their role in helping families understand how
they can prevent childhood injuries, and dedicate
many hours each year to spread this message.
We encourage others in Tarrant County to plan a
Child Safety Month activity for children in their
neighborhood. For assistance in planning an event,
please contact the Texas Office for Prevention of
Developmental Disabilities (TOPDD) at (512)
206-4544.
The Texas Legislature's purpose in creating TOPDD
was to help minimize the human and economic losses
caused by preventable disabilities through the
establishment of a joint private-public initiative.
The agency has a nine member governing board whose
members have expertise in the field of developmental
disabilities. They are appointed by the Governor,
the Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the Texas
House of Representatives.
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