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MILWAUKEE (5/1/2007) - According to The Safe Kids U.S. Summer Safety Ranking Report, a new study released by Safe Kids Worldwide, Wisconsin ranks as the 16th safest out of all 50 states and the District of Columbia for children's accidental injury deaths in summer – a deadly time of year for children.
Vermont led the report as the nation's safest state with 1.63 children per 100,000 dying from accidental injury during the summer, below the national average of 3.67 per 100,000, and a 60.3 percent reduction in the summer rate over a five-year period. In Wisconsin, the study showed that 3.75 children per 100,000 died from accidental injuries during the summer, a 21.5 percent reduction in the summer rate over a five-year period. Wyoming scored last, 8.27 children per 100,000 dying from accidental injury during the summer and an 82.5 percent increase in that rate over a five-year period.
"Safe Kids Wisconsin wants families to enjoy their summer vacations, but we also want to make sure they aren't taking a vacation from safety," said Bridget Clementi, manager of the Injury Prevention Program for Children's Hospital and Health System. "Parents can play an active role in preventing devastating summer accidents by supervising their children and arming them with the proper safety gear such as life jackets and bike helmets."
Release of this study coincides with the kick-off of National Safe Kids Week in the U.S., April 28 to May 6, 2007, and the start of summer, known by emergency personnel as "trauma season" because preventable accidental deaths and serious injuries to children increase dramatically.
The study reports that an average of 17 American children a day, or 2,143 children in total, died from May to August in 2004 due to injuries, many of which could have been prevented. Also in 2004, 2.4 million children made emergency room visits due to accidental injuries, many of which resulted in paralysis, brain damage and other serious disabilities.
Underwritten by an educational grant from Johnson & Johnson, founding sponsor of Safe Kids Worldwide, the study was conducted by The Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation in collaboration with an expert advisory panel.
Previous Safe Kids Worldwide research indicates that five of the most common causes of children's accidental injury deaths in summer are:
-Drowning (increases 89 percent in the summer over the annual monthly average).
-Biking (increases 45 percent).
-Falls (increases 21 percent).
-Motor vehicle passenger injuries (increases 20 percent).
-Pedestrian injuries (increases 16 percent).
In fact, almost 60 percent of total children's accidental injury deaths from May to August from 2001 to 2004 came from these risk areas. The report also demonstrates a 17.6 percent drop in children's accidental injury deaths in summer across the nation (comparing data from 1997–1999 to 2002–2004), yet children's accidental injury deaths continue to spike in the summer.
"The results should be a wake-up call to the states and the nation," said Martin Eichelberger, MD, chairman of Safe Kids Worldwide and director of Emergency and Burn Services at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. "When a child dies every few hours from an accidental summer injury, many of which can be prevented, we have our work cut out for us."
A complete copy of The Safe Kids U.S. Summer Safety Ranking Report can be found online at www.usa.safekids.org.
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