According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suffocation deaths are most common among infants less than one year of age, drowning deaths are most common among children one to four years of age, and motor vehicle crashes are the most common deaths among children five to 19 years of age. UNICEF reports that unintentional injuries through motor vehicle traffic crashes, drownings, falls, poisonings, and burns and scalds are the leading causes of death among children and adolescents worldwide, with more than 1,600 children and adolescents below the age of 19 years of age dying every day from preventable injuries.

Popular Child Safety Advice

Many different organizations are offering back-to-school safety advice. The National Safety Council (NSC) is stressing how preventable many school-related injuries are. It was recommended that parents take the following steps to ensure their child’s safety at school:

• Choose the best backpack for your child by making sure it has ergonomically designed features that enhance safety and comfort
• Ask your children to use both straps while wearing backpacks so the weight will be evenly distributed on their shoulders
• Avoid overstuffing backpacks as they should not weigh more than 5 to 10 percent of a child’s body weight
• Rolling backpacks require extra caution because they can create trip hazards in crowded school hallways

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was emphasizing bicycle safety. NHTSA advice for bicycle safety included:

• Make sure children are wearing correctly fitted helmets and securely fasten their chin straps
• Tell children to ride in the same direction as traffic and obey traffic signs and signals
• Children should stay in bike lanes whenever possible.
• Tell children not to use electronics while they are riding because such devices can be distracting

Security company ADT Inc. was offering playground safety advice, which included:

• Make sure supervisors are present when children are on a school’s playground
• Ensure playground equipment has shock-absorbing material surrounding it that is at least nine inches thick
• Seek protective surfaces extending six feet in all directions around playground equipment, with it extending twice the height of a swing set
• Avoid attaching ropes, jump ropes, clotheslines, pet leashes, or cords to playground equipment
• Watch for sharp edges or points on the equipment
• Alert a school when you notice anything strange about playground equipment at a child’s school
• Any spaces that might trap children, like openings between ladder rungs, must measure either less than three and a half inches or over nine inches
• Any elevated surfaces, like ramps, must have guardrails to prevent falls

U.S. News and World Report also offered these tips on walking to school safely:

• Tell children to walk on a sidewalk when one is available and to face traffic when they must walk on a street
• Come to complete stops and look in both directions twice to make sure no cars coming before crossing roads
• While crossing at crosswalks, tell children to make eye contact with drivers so they can ensure drivers are stopped and will remain stopped
• Children need to avoid distracted walking, such as walking and using a mobile phone at the same time

Finally, the American Safety Council had some important tips regarding unsafe behaviors children should report to their parents or other adults:

• Adults who do not work at schools and do not seem to be parents but are hanging around campuses, especially when they are approaching your child or other children
• Another student talking about bringing weapons or dangerous materials to school
• Bullying by other students, whether your child is the victim or they see other students being bullied
•  

Call Us Today to Schedule a Free Consultation with a St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer

Did your child suffer serious injuries in any kind of accident stemming from another party’s negligence in the St. Louis area? You will want to quickly get the help of an accident attorney St. Louis at Bruntrager & Billings, P.C. in pursuing complete compensation for every cost you are now facing in caring for your child.

Our firm understands how complicated it can be for parents to know how to file injury claims on behalf of their children, but we can walk you through the entire process so you are not handling anything by yourself. You can call (314) 646-0066 or contact us online to take advantage of a free consultation that will let us dig into the details of your case and explore what options you could have for seeking damages.

Source URL: https://law-stl.com/back-to-school-safety-tips-for-st-louis-students/