March - carseatsAR.org

March 2013
The Moment
A Newsletter for Supporters and Friends of the Injury Prevention Center
It Only Takes a Moment...
In This Issue
Teen Driving ROADeo – Parents and
teens educated on vehicle safety
Trampoline Safety – As the weather
warms, be safe with this outdoor
activity
Child Passenger Safety – Current
trends with car seats and CPS Techs
Partners in Prevention – First
Statewide Suicide Prevention Initiative
meeting
•••••
Mark Your Calendar
April
20th
CPS Check-up Event
Wal Mart Parking Lot
Russellville, AR
10 AM - 1 PM
For more information call (501) 364-5655
19th-20thApplied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
AR Children’s Hospital
Little Rock, AR
For more information call (501) 364-3436
25th
Set the Rules. Enforce the Privilege.
Terry Branch Library
Little Rock, AR
12 - 2 PM
For more information call (501) 364-3396
27th
Safe Kids Day
CALS Children’s Library
Little Rock, AR
11 AM - 3 PM
For more information call (501) 364-3400
may
12th
Set the Rules. Enforce the Privilege.
Maumelle Public Library
Maumelle, AR
12 - 2 PM
For more information call (501) 364-3396
Teen Driving Roadeo educates parents and
teens about motor vehicle safety
The Injury Prevention Center at Arkansas
Children’s Hospital, in partnership with the
Allstate Foundation, hosted its first ever Teen
Driving ROADeo event on March 9, 2013. The
event took place at the War Memorial Stadium
parking lot in Little Rock. Parents and teens
were able to choose between a morning session
and an afternoon session, both offering the same
information. The purpose of the ROADeo was
to educate teens and their parents on a variety
of motor vehicle safety topics. Support for the
event was provided by the Allstate Foundation.
Impaired Driving Course
Event attendees visited educational booths on the topics of impaired driving, vehicle
maintenance, law enforcement, vehicle insurance, Arkansas’ Graduated Drivers Licensing
(GDL) Law, railroad crossings and semi-trailer truck blind spots. There were also two
demonstrations (one for each session) of dismantling a vehicle by using the ‘jaws of life’
put on by the Little Rock Fire Department. Overall, forty-two teenagers attended, not
including the parents who accompanied them.
Over the last decade, an average of 600 Arkansans have died annually from motor vehicle
related crashes. Although Arkansas’ death rate has dropped by 15% over the last ten
years, it is still 40% higher than the US rate (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Arkansas has also made great strides with regards to teen related motor vehicle crashes
and fatalities by implementing a GDL law for teen drivers in 2009. According to the
Arkansas Center for Health Improvement there was a 22% reduction in crashes involving
16 year olds and a 59% reduction in teen driver fatalities when comparing data from two
different years: 2008 (year before GDL) and 2010, (year after GDL).
JAWS OF LIFE DEMONSTRATION:
BEFORE
AFTER
•••••
Thank you for supporting the Injury Prevention Center at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Contact us for more information or to subscribe to The Moment:
1 Children’s Way, Slot 512-26 Little Rock, AR 72202 • (501) 364-3400 or (866) 611-3445 • Fax: (501) 364-3112 • E-mail: [email protected]
Trampoline Safety
Partners in Prevention
Statewide Suicide Prevention
Initiative
On February 1st, The Arkansas Division of
Behavioral Health held the first meeting of
the Statewide Suicide Prevention Initiative,
bringing together over 60 community
leaders, mental health and public health
professionals representing 19 different
counties. Shelby Rowe, Intentional Injury
Project Analyst, shared information about
the recently updated National Strategy for
Suicide Prevention and provided a brief
history of suicide prevention efforts in
Arkansas.
by Lacye Vance, Recreational Safety Project Analyst
Trampolines are a common sight in the backyards of families all over the
United States. People of all ages use trampolines for fun, exercise, or
spending time with their friends and/or family. The Consumer Product
Safety Commission reports trampolines are not as safe as you might think.
During 2011 alone, there were more than 83,000 people injured while
using a trampoline. (US Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2013)
These injuries can happen to people of any age, but rates of injury are
higher for children under five years old. (AAP, 2012) Injuries that occur
while using trampolines can include muscle and ligament injuries, broken
bones, cuts, bruises, brain injuries and even spinal cord injuries that can
cause a loss of function in the arms and legs. Injuries often happen when
the jumper lands wrong, falls off the trampoline while trying to do tricks,
or two or more people crash into each other. The frame and springs of
the trampoline are also dangerous and can cause injury (US Consumer
Product Safety Commission, 2013).
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly discourages the use
of backyard trampolines, and has called for more research on this topic.
The use of netting and other safety equipment on trampolines have not
reduced injuries. (AAP, 2012) If parents decide to buy a trampoline or
allow their children to play on trampolines, there are recommended
safety tips:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Children should always be supervised by parent or guardian; however, supervised children can still be injured.
Trampolines should be used by one person at a time.
Trampolines should not be used by a child younger than six years old.
Ladders should not be used to climb onto the trampoline. This allows younger children the ability to climb onto the trampoline.
Flips or tricks should not be allowed. Landing on your neck after attempting a flip or other trick can cause spinal cord injuries.
The trampoline should have protective padding cover the frame and springs.
The trampoline should be placed in an area away from trees, houses, fences, rocks, or other dangerous structures. (US Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2013)
References
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2012). Trampoline
safety in childhood and adolescents: Council on sports
medicine and fitness. Pediatrics. 130, 774-779. Doe:
10.1542/peds.2012-2082.
United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.
(ND). CPSC consumer alert: Trampoline safety.
Retrieved on February 6, 2013 from http://www.
cpsc.gov//PageFiles/122353/085%20Trampoline%20
SafetyRevised0113.pdf
The Moment
March 2013
Medication Safety by Safe Kids Worldwide
Safe Kids Worldwide just released new findings about keeping kids safe around medicine, and the results may surprise
you. Every parent knows to keep medicine up and away from children, but kids are still getting into medicine at an
alarming rate. (500,000 calls to poison control centers last year!) We talked to moms to find out what’s going on and
crafted new tips for you.
Medications are the leading cause of child poisoning. Every year, more than 67,000 children go to an emergency room
for medicine poisoning. That’s one child every eight minutes. Almost all of these visits are because the child got into
medicines while their parent or caregiver wasn’t looking.
Top Tips
•
Put medicines up and away and out
of sight. Make sure that all medicines,
including vitamins and adult medicines,
are stored out of reach and out of sight
of children. (In 86% of emergency room
visits for medicine poisoning, the child
got into medicine belonging to an adult.)
•
Consider places where kids get into
medicine. Kids get into medication in
all sorts of places, like in purses and
nightstands. (In 67% of cases, the
medicine was within reach of a child,
such as in a purse, left on a counter or
dresser or found on the ground.)
•
Consider products you might not
think about as medicines. Most
parents know to store medicine up
and away – or at least the products
they consider to be medicine. But they
don’t always think about products such
as diaper rash remedies or eye drops,
which may not seem like medicine but
can cause harm.
•
Use the dosing device that comes with
the medicine. Proper dosing is important,
particularly for young children. Use
the dosing device that comes with the
medicine. Kitchen spoons aren’t all the
same, and a teaspoon and tablespoon
used for cooking won’t measure the
same amount as the dosing device.
•
Put the toll-free number for the Poison
Control Center (1-800-222-1222) into
your home and cell phone. You should
also post it near your phone or on your
refrigerator for the babysitter. Hopefully
you’ll never need it, but it’s nice to have
just in case.
The Moment Focus: Child Passenger Safety
March 2013
Child Passenger Safety Technicians
Arkansas closed out 2012 with a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) recertification rate of 59%. That’s
higher than the national rate of 54.9%! Way to go!! We are starting 2013 off with a big bang. For the month of
January our recertification rate is 63%! Wow!! The national recertification rate for January is 56.7%. All of you are
doing a fantastic job! Remember: To recertify you must have completed five (5) seat installations with an instructor to sign off, attended
a community event (i.e. 2-hour car seat check or 4-hours of education to non-technicians), and obtained six (6)
CEUs. All of this needs to be logged into the certification website at http://cert.safekids.org. DO NOT WAIT TO THE
LAST MINUTE! You have 2-years to complete the requirements. You can enter everything at any time prior to your
expiration date, but the fee can’t be paid until you are four (4) months from your expiration date. Don’t forget, if you
need help paying the recert fee, the CPSE Program can help you. Notify Holly Terry at [email protected] if you
need help.
Child Passenger Safety UPDATE
(from the Fall 2012 Tech Update at www.cpsboard.org)
Seat Check Smarts: Talking About Airbag Sensors
Advanced airbag systems typically have sensors to detect the size, position and belt use of the right-front occupant.
Depending on the crash severity, the occupant sensors may determine if the frontal airbag
should deploy and at what power level. The occupant sensors primarily control the frontal
impact airbags.
Vehicles model year 2006 and older come with advanced frontal impact airbags, but they can be in some vehicles as
old as model year 2003. Some heavy vehicles (i.e. heavy-duty pickups) are not required to have advanced airbags.
You can tell if a vehicle has advanced airbags two ways. First, the airbag warning on the visor begins
"WARNING! Even with advanced airbags…". Second, most vehicles have an indicator light telling
when the frontal airbag for the right-front passenger is on or off.
Each advanced airbag system may behave differently. Some may suppress the airbag if a child is in
the front seat. Others may deploy it at different power levels. You must check the vehicle owner's manual to figure out
how the airbag system is supposed to work.
At a seat check, remind parents that kids 12 years old and younger should sit in the back, even with advanced
airbags. Ask if they ever might need to have a child ride in the front. If so, have the child sit in the front seat using the
restraint system they would normally use. Turn on the vehicle ignition. Review the vehicle owner's manual with the
caregiver and make sure the airbag indicator light (if applicable) behaves like the manual says it should with the child
occupant. If the light does not work, the child should not sit in front.
The advanced airbag occupant sensors are typically designed to detect the occupant sitting in the right front seat.
Sometimes, a rear-facing child restraint installed in the second row that contacts the right-front seat can affect the
sensors.
This can also happen with a bag of groceries or someone in the rear seat pulling on the front seatback. Review the
vehicle owner's manual for any guidelines about the sensors. NHTSA provides more details at the following website
or you can go to safercar.gov and search for "Advanced Airbags.":http://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle+Shoppers/
Air+Bags/Advanced+Frontal+Air+Bags/#6
Take home messages
• Figure out if the vehicle has an airbag sensor for the right-front seat.
• Review the vehicle owner's manual to see how the sensor is supposed to work.
• If a child needs to ride in the front seat, check to see that the indicator light is working properly.
• Never place a rear-facing CRS in the front seat with an advanced airbag that is not turned off.
Child Passenger Safety
WELCOME NEW
TECHNICIANS!
February 2013 Certification Class in
Fort Smith
Dustin Barentine, Fort Smith Police Dept.
Tabitha Fondren, Gateway House
Ramon Gayle, Bost, Inc.
Maury Long, ACH, SIPP
Joseph Love, Fort Smith Police Dept.
Rebecca Mathews, Bost, Inc.
Rodney Reed, Fort Smith Police Dept.
Stephanie Smith, Bost, Inc.
Randy Triplett, Fort Smith Police Dept.
Recent Research: Assessing Child Belt Fit with Boosters
Researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research
Institute (UMTRI) studied how belt-positioning booster seats change
seat belt fit on kids. Forty-four kids aged 5 to 12 were tested. They sat in
four different models of high back boosters, a backless booster and on
the vehicle seat without a booster. Four different lap and seven different
shoulder belt anchor locations were simulated.
The lap belt fit better (lower on the kid's pelvis) with any booster
compared to no booster at all. The boosters tested provided a large range
of belt fit. Those with the worst fit for most kids let the lap belt sit too high
on the pelvis and close to the abdomen. The largest kids sitting without
a booster had about the same lap belt fit as the smallest kids using the
worst fitting booster. When sitting on the vehicle seat, a steeper lap belt
angle relative to horizontal provided a much better lap belt fit. However,
when using a booster, lap belt angle did not change lap belt fit.
Changing the shoulder belt upper anchor location
had a big effect on shoulder belt fit for kids not using
a booster. The worst shoulder belt fit was with a high
back booster. Its shoulder belt routing clip pulled the
shoulder belt outboard, too far off the shoulder. Other
high back boosters with adjustable shoulder belt
routing clips provided the best shoulder belt fit.
CPS RESOURCES
National CPS Certification’s CPS
Express (http://cert.safekids.org/
ResourcesFAQs/CPSExpress.aspx)
Monthly newsletter from the Safe Kids
Certification with information about what’s
new in CPS or updates on program
information and certification.
2013 LATCH Manual: The new Orange
LATCH Manual is available through Safe
Ride News (www.saferidenews.com). Remember you can get one (1) CEU by
taking the LATCH Manual quiz.
Carseats AR website: To know what is
going on in the state or your area check
out our website www.carseatsar.org. Check out the Calendar, the Technician
Corner, or the map to locate other techs. Notify Holly Terry if you want to add your
event to the calendar at hmterry@uams.
edu.
They also compared the belt fit of the 6 and 10- year-old crash test
dummies to the kids' results. The belt fit on the dummies could be used
to predict how the seat belts would fit real kids. This means that the crash
test dummies can be used to check belt fit using different boosters and
seat belts.
Take home messages
• Using a booster always provided better lap belt fit compared to sitting on
the vehicle seat.
• If one booster doesn't provide a good belt fit in a vehicle, another
product may work better.
• For children too large for boosters, seat belt anchor points in the vehicle
can affect lap belt fit. One seating position may provide a better belt fit
than another.
Reference: Reed M, Ebert-Hamilton S, Klinich K, Manary M, Rupp J
(2012). Effects of Vehicle Seat and Belt Geometry on Belt Fit for Children
with and without Belt Positioning Booster Seats. Accid Anal Prev.
1 Children’s Way, Slot 512-26
Little Rock, AR 72202
(501) 364-3400
www.archildrens.org/injury_prevention
April is arkansas atv safety awareness month
Governor Mike Beebe has declared April 2013 to be All-terrain Vehicle (ATV) Safety Awareness Month. ATVs are very popular
in the state of Arkansas. They are used for farming, hunting, and recreation; however, riding or operating an ATV comes with a
substantial risk of serious injury, particularly for children and teens. Several counties are participating in this year’s ATV Safety
Awareness Month: Baxter, Boone/Newton, Crawford/Sebastian, Craighead, Faulkner, Drew/Cleveland and Howard Counties.
Activities include speaking engagements on safety in targeted areas, partnering with ATV dealerships to increase awareness,
distribution of ATV safety material in local schools, and distribution of ATV toolkits, which are designed as a teaching tool for
those who wish to train others on ATV safety. This year’s focus is on riders using appropriate-sized ATVs.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that no one under the age of 16 ride or operate an ATV. However, recognizing
that many parents in Arkansas choose to allow children to ride these vehicles, the Injury Prevention Center at Arkansas Children’s
Hospital recommends the following safety tips:
• Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of death in a crash by
almost half.
• Children should not ride adult-sized ATVs.
• Ride without passengers.
• ATVs are not designed to be operated on paved roadways and
should only be ridden off road.
• Get hands on training-on how to operate an ATV safely and
correctly.
For more information on ATV safety or to request a free ATV safety
toolkit to be used in your community, contact the Injury Prevention
Center.
When turning
the handlebars,
the rider should
be able to keep
both hands on
both handles and
be able to reach
the hand brakes
without sliding
forward on the
seat
When standing
with feet on
footboards
and hands on
handlebars, there
should be 3 - 6
inches of space
between the seat
of the ATV and
the rider’s groin
While seated
with feet on
footboard, upper
and lower legs
should create a
90-degree angle
Locate and comply
with the age
recommendations
on label of
machine - the
rider in this photo
is 12 years old
Does Your ATV Fit the Rider?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that no child
under 16 ride on an ATV. If a child does ride, select one that fits the
child’s age and size.
Feet should
be flat on the
footboards and
able to reach
brake/clutch