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Summer: Time to Focus on Injury Prevention Summer is right around the corner — kids are counting down to the end of school, parents are planning summer vacations and trauma centers are anxiously preparing for the season. On average, 14 million children each year suffer unintentional injuries serious enough to require medical treatment; the highest spike in injury-related emergency room visits always occurs during the summer. That’s why children’s hospitals often refer to summer as “the season of trauma.” Last year, “Get on Board with Child Safety!” — a nationwide initiative led by NACHRI and Safety 1st — commissioned a survey of 1,000 parents across America to compare their perceptions of child injury risks with the realities. Among the findings: Parents are most concerned about a child’s safety when playing in or around water. However, one in three parents fails to recognize that children can drown in as little as 2 inches of water. More than half of parents underestimate how long children should remain in a booster seat before graduating to riding solely with a lap and shoulder belt. The NACHRI-supported recommendation is for children ages 4 to 8 — weighing 40 to 80 pounds and under 4 feet 9 inches tall — to be secured in belt-positioning booster seats. Only 14 percent of respondents indicate they are most concerned about child safety when riding in a car. Yet nationally, injuries sustained in motor vehicle crashes are the leading killer of children from age 1 through young adulthood. Understanding the knowledge gap around childhood injury risks offers a clear opportunity for children’s hospitals to further educate the public — especially parents. The survey is helping NACHRI drive health and safety education programs at children’s hospitals across the nation. To Learn More For more information and for expert injury prevention advice, visit www.getonboardwithsafety.com.