Emergency medicine physicians have come to define the period of May through August as "trauma season," the time of year when almost half of all deaths (42 percent) are caused by unintentional injury. One reason is that during the summer, children are out of school, less supervised and outdoors more often.

Michael Mello, MD, James Linakis, MD, emergency medicine physicians with the Injury Prevention Center at Rhode Island Hospital and its Hasbro Children’s Hospital, and Andrea Richardson, the SafeKids Coordinator of the Injury Prevention Center, encourage parents to be aware of some of the most common injuries during this time. Some areas for concern include motor vehicles, water, bicycles and playgrounds.

Motor Vehicle Safety

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for individuals aged one to 64. In 2005, an average of five children ages 14 and younger were killed and 640 were injured every day. Richardson notes, “Child safety seats are a must. They can reduce the risk of fatal injury by up to 71 percent for children under a year of age and by 54 percent for children ages one to four. It is imperative that children under 80 pounds, or about 8 years old, travel in a child safety seat to prevent these unnecessary deaths.” She also notes, “the Injury Prevention Center has child passenger safety technicians available to offer instruction in the proper use of safety seats.”

Bike Safety

After cars, injuries resulting from the use of bicycles are among the most common injuries. Linakis says, “Youths are at greatest risk for bike injuries. We know that bike helmets greatly reduce the risk of head injury by 75 percent. Unfortunately, even after all the warnings, only about 25 percent of youths are using them.” He stresses that to keep children safe while biking, a helmet should always be used, and parents should set an example for their children by wearing their own helmets. For a helmet to fit properly, the chin strap should be snug enough so the helmet cannot move from side to side.

Other tips for safety:

• Parent should check the brakes on the bike and be sure that the bike is equipped with reflectors
• The bike should be the right size and height and in good condition
• Obey traffic signs and signals and never ride against traffic, or choose a bike path or other designated area for riding away from traffic

Water Safety

For children and young adults ages 5 to 24, drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death. Mello says, “For every child that dies from drowning, four children are hospitalized from near-drowning. These statistics should serve as a warning to parents that they need to be vigilant when children are around water, whether it be small pools, lakes or the ocean.” He offers the following tips to parents:

• Always supervise children near water, no matter how shallow it may be and avoid distractions such as reading or cell phones
• Check water depth before children jump or dive
• Make sure children wear life jackets while boating or during other water sports
• Swim only in designated areas at beaches
• Do not rely on “water wings” or other inflatable toys. If a child cannot swim, a parent should be within arms reach of the child.
• Learn infant and child CPR

Playground safety

Each year, more than 200,000 children receive care in emergency departments as a result of playground injuries. Approximately 60 percent of those injuries are caused by children falling from equipment onto a hard surface such as cement or concrete. Children between the ages of 5 and 9 are most at-risk. The experts at the Injury Prevention Center offer the following tips to keep children safe while at the playground:

• Never leave children unsupervised
• Do not allow children to play on equipment that is too large for them or that is broken
• Be aware of trash and other materials that may be sharp, such as broken glass
• Wear shoes/sneakers that do not slide on wet surfaces
• Children should not play on wet surfaces, as they can be slippery, or on hot metal surfaces, such as slides, as they can cause third-degree burns
• No one should cross in front of or behind moving swings.
• Children must not be allowed to push or pull others while playing on climbing equipment.

Emergency department physicians at Rhode Island Hospital created the Injury Prevention Center in 1998. The Center conducts research; develops and implements community-based programs; and educates professionals, policy makers and the public about the importance of injury prevention. For more information, call us at 401-444-2685 or visit the center’s web site.