It's the first day of Spring, and we have high hopes that warmer weather is on the way after a long, cold winter in Virginia.  We have high hopes for something else which is occurring in Virginia at the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).  VDOT is homing in on distracted drivers!  Hopefully, this will spark a safe-driving movement that aims at reducing (voluntary) distractions by drivers across the U.S.

What is a distracted driver?  If you have driven on any U.S. roads recently--whether state routes, country roads, or interstate highways, you know who these folks are, you've seen them, and possibly you are among their numbers--as we all are occasionally. But we are talking about habitually distracted drivers, who might better have their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road.  But as we well know, this is not always the case, and distracted drivers are more frequently becoming the source of unfortunate and often tragic accidents.

What do distracted drivers do when they are supposed to be focused on driving their vehicles?  Distracted drivers may be doing any, some or all of the following while driving--and these are only a few of the activities we have observed:

·         Eating, drinking, and/or smoking (lighting or putting out cigarettes, cigars, or pipes) while driving can be very distracting--even momentarily; spilling hot food, cold or hot drinks, or cigarette ashes;

·         Talking on, listening to, or dialing cell phones;

·         Typing and sending text messages via cell phones;

·         Watching or listening to TV (now, I ask you...)

·         Listening to recorded/downloaded music on iPod-like devices, tape/CD-players or portable radios with earphones in-ears (the latter is actually illegal in many states);

·         Working on... or playing games... on laptop computers;

·         Changing clothing; putting on make-up;

·         Reading the newspaper, books or maps.

The aforementioned are only some of the things distracted drivers do. We are sure you can add other erstwhile activities you have seen people doing when they should be focused on driving, to the list, as distracted driving has become so prevalent, so commonly occurring.  The issue really impressed me while driving on a state route near my home; I noticed an SUV approaching in the rear view mirror at a rather high rate of speed. The SUV came close enough that I noted a neighbors' young daughter driving and excitedly talking on her cell phone (which was held by her neck) as she gestured with her hands. My sole thought was: What is holding the steering wheel? (And, yes, I called her mom--not to tattle, but simply to ask in whose name the car was insured...)

Parents, family members, and caregivers want to protect the children in their care at all times, even on short trips to the supermarket or longer ones to the hairdresser.  There are children who might be alive today had parents or caregivers brought them into the supermarket or into the hairdresser's instead of leaving them in a car with the windows all or partially closed. The number of children who have died from hyperthermia after being left in cars that have become hot quickly, has risen dramatically in the past ten years.  The pace of life is frenetic these days--our children ride in the car behind the drivers in booster seats--and sometimes tragically parents forget or become distracted.

Kids and Cars.org recently published the numbers of children who have died in cars due to heat exposure from 1998 to 2010:  495 children died in hot cars nationwide, with 49 such deaths reported last year alone. A small child can die in as few as 20 minutes due to the effects of hyperthermia because a child's core makes up most their body weight, and their internal core temperature rises fast. In heat stroke, the internal core temperature is so high the body's cells are destroyed.   

Attention is being paid to this phenomenon, and yet these accidents still occur.  SafeKids and local fire departments present public demonstrations showing that a person can fry an egg on the car's dashboard or bake cookies on it in fewer than 10 minutes in a closed, hot car!  Last month, the Utah State Senate debated a bill to make it a Class C misdemeanor to leave a child under nine years old unattended in a vehicle when the conditions are a risk to the child's health or safety. 

Children being left in hot cars was only one focus of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report, "Not-in-Traffic Surveillance 2007 - Children" published more than two years ago. The report confirmed then that "preventable deaths and injuries associated with motor vehicles happen with regularity every year, not only on public roadways, but on private driveways and in parking lots." Not only were and are children dying of hyperthermia after being left in hot cars, but children are being backed over, and powerful automatic vehicle windows are closing on necks and limbs of car occupants.

These tragic accidents, however, are preventable, and Kids and Cars.org put together a list of tips we believe are extremely useful to help parents and caregivers when they have children along for the ride in the back in a safety or booster seat:

"KidsAndCars.org recommendations to keep children safe include[1]:

• Never leave children alone in or around cars; not even for a minute
• Put something you'll need like your cell phone, handbag, employee ID, lunch or brief case, etc., on the floor board in the back seat.
• Get in the habit of always opening the back door of your vehicle every time you reach your destination to make sure no child has been left behind. "Look before you lock!"
• Keep a large teddy bear in a child's car seat when it's not occupied. When the child is placed in the seat, put the teddy bear in the front passenger seat. It's a visual reminder that anytime the teddy bear is up front you know the child is in the back seat in a child safety seat.
• Make arrangements with your child's day care center or babysitter that you will always call them if your child will not be there on a particular day as scheduled. This is common courtesy and sets a good example that everyone who is involved in the care of your child is informed of their whereabouts on a daily basis. Ask them to phone you if your child doesn't show up when expected. Many children's lives could have been saved with a telephone call from a concerned child care provider. Give child care providers all your telephone numbers, including that of an extra family member or friend, so they can always confirm the whereabouts of your child.
• Use drive-thru services in restaurants, banks, pharmacies, dry cleaners, etc., when available.
• If you see a child alone in a vehicle, get involved. If they are hot or seem sick, get them out as quickly as possible. Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.
• Keep vehicles locked at all times; even in the garage or driveway and always set your parking brake.
• Keys and/or remote openers should never be left within reach of children.
• Make sure all child passengers have left the vehicle after it is parked.
• Be especially careful about keeping children safe in and around cars during busy times, schedule changes, and periods of crisis or holidays.
• When a child is missing, check vehicles and car trunks immediately.
• Use your debit or credit card to pay for gas at the pump.
• Walk around and behind a vehicle prior to moving it.
• Know where your kids are! Make children move away from your vehicle to a place where they are in full view before moving the car and know that another adult is properly supervising children before moving your vehicle.
• Teach children that "parked" vehicles might move. Let them know that even when they can see the vehicle, the driver might not be able to see them.
• Consider installing cross-view mirrors, audible collision detectors, rear view video camera, and/or some type of back-up detection device.
• Measure the size of your blind zone (area) behind the vehicle(s) you drive. A 5-foot-1-inch driver in a pickup truck can have a rear blind zone of approximately 8 feet wide by 50 feet long.
• Be aware that steep inclines and large SUV's, vans, and trucks add to the difficulty of seeing behind a vehicle.
• Hold children's hands firmly when leaving the vehicle--whether you are at home, in a parking lot, or on the sidewalk!
• Teach your children to never play in, around, or behind a vehicle.
• Keep toys and other sports equipment off the driveway and away from the street.
• Homeowners should trim landscaping around the driveway to ensure they can see the sidewalk, street, and pedestrians clearly when backing out of their driveway. Pedestrians also need to be able to see a vehicle pulling out of the driveway."

ChildSafetyBlog.org wants you to be safe in the springtime--and all the time!

Just because spring is around the corner doesn't mean we don't have to be concerned about house fires.  Last weekend after a long winter we  turned our clocks forward an hour and welcomed Daylight Savings Time.  This is also a great time of year to test and change the batteries in our homes' smoke alarms!  Do you have a smoke alarm on every level of your home, including the attic and basement?  There should be a smoke alarm in every bedroom as well. All smoke alarms should be tested once a month and the batteries changed every six months.  You can purchase long-lasting smoke alarm batteries too, but the alarms still should be tested monthly.

If you have family members with special needs, such as a hearing or vision impairment, you can install special smoke alarms to accommodate their needs which notify them with sound or a voice recording or flashing lights.  There are dual sensor alarms that can be installed as well to detect both smoldering fire and fire with flames (heat) and smoke.

If you have a real fireplace in your home, mom and dad, spring is a wonderful time to make sure the fireplace and chimney are clean after a winter of burning logs. Remove all ashes and any burned debris. Take away unused kindling, matches, "fire starter" substance, newspapers,  and logs from the fireplace area as well. (Place hazardous materials and matches where children cannot get to them!) 

Dirty chimneys are a frequent source of fire. Your local volunteer fire department will often clean your chimney for a small fee or recommend a local chimney cleaning service to you.  If you clean your chimney now, it will be ready for next winter when you want to warm up in front of a cozy hearth.  The same is true for oil burning or gas furnaces which may need to be cleaned annually. Depending on the type of heating system you have, you may need to clean the air filters in the heating system or replace them completely, or have a service come and clean them so that the heating system runs efficiently and safely.

Spring is also a great time to clean house and garage and remove trash that has accumulated over winter.  If there are empty boxes, newspapers, piles of old clothes or rags in your garage that you haven't touched in a year, a good rule is to donate things that can be used and pitch unusable items before they become fodder for a fire. Parents, if you have been doing woodworking during the winter and have any accumulation of sawdust, sweep it up and discard it out of doors!  Seal and put away the flammable chemicals as well.  A high concentration of sawdust, a heat source, and flammable items are all it takes to produce a damaging house fire!

If you remember learning about spontaneous combustion in school, then you will remember how amazing the demonstration was--and how rapidly a spontaneous fire can occur in your attic, garage, or basement storage area, especially if there are fumes, or flammable substances stored in places where things have become dusty.  Do you have insulation hanging anywhere that needs to be properly retained or taped up? Are there used rags hanging on a workbench to dry?  How about partially filled cans of paint, furniture stain or paintbrushes you may have neglected to clean?  Household cleaners and chemical sprays can be fire starters, too.  So carefully storing things can prevent a house fire.

Recently, in the news, it was noted that in many American cities and towns our infrastructure is old. Underground gas lines and pipes especially are at risk of deterioration due to age.  If you have natural gas or use propane, you may want to have the fire department or your local gas company visit your home once a year to check for any gas leaks.  If you smell gas (the odor is like sulphur or rotten eggs) and think you have a gas leak, do not turn on or off any electrical switches or lights, have everyone in the house leave your home, and go to a safe place away from the house. Once you are out and away from the house, call 911 immediately and tell them you believe there may be a gas leak in your home.

Does your family have a plan to escape from your home in case of a fire or other emergency?  In an emergency, every minute--every second--is important!  Getting out of your home safely is important. Make sure each person in your household knows what to do in case of fire.  Have a designated place away from your home to meet if you get separated. Make sure children know where that place is and make sure your children know the safest route from your house to that place. 

Childsafetyblog.org wants to keep all kids safe from house fires this spring!

It's spring and announcements of new baby furniture products can be found throughout the sale papers.  Thankfully, for the safety of baby, here are two baby furniture products that have been recalled:

The Baby Jogger Jump Seat has been recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the company, Baby Jogger, LLC, of Richmond, Virginia.

The recall involves approximately 2,000 (1,545 in the US; 450 in Canada) Baby Jogger Jump Seats that  bear the item number is J7J50 and have been sold and distributed since 2008 by juvenile furniture stores, department stores and mass merchandisers throughout the U.S. and Canada, and were purchased for approximately $100 each.

As stated in the CPSC recall announcement, "This recall includes the Baby Jogger Jump Seat. The Jump Seat is a fabric seat accessory with the name 'Baby Jogger' on the front that is attached to the mounting bracket on the frame of a Baby Jogger City Elite, Baby Jogger City Classic or Baby Jogger Summit stroller and allows a toddler and baby to ride together in the same stroller at the same time. The item number is printed on the product packaging."

The Baby Jogger Jump Seat was manufactured in China, and the problem with it is if the Jump Seat does not properly lock into place, the Jump Seat can disengage from the stroller allowing the child to fall out. Baby Jogger has received four (4) reports of children falling from the seat, resulting thus far in scrapes, bruises, cuts, and a broken nose.

Consumers who have purchased the Baby Jogger Jump Seat should stop using it immediately and contact Baby Jogger toll-free at (877) 506-2213 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET, e-mail the firm at recall@babyjogger.com, or visit the firm's website at www.babyjogger.com  to obtain safety straps or additional information about returning the Jump Seat.  Consumers need to note that it is illegal to sell recalled products.

A photo of the jump seat may be viewed at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11145.html

5,000 Wooden Playpens Recalled

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, in conjunction with AOSOM of Tualatin, Oregon, voluntarily recalled 5,000 wooden playpens. The recall involves the AOSOM 3 in 1 Baby wooden Superyard Playpen Combo, the AOSOM Baby 8 Panel Wooden Playpen Room Divider, the AOSOM Baby 8 Sided Wooden Playpen 2 Panels, and the AOSOM Baby 8 Sided Wooden Playpen Gate. The playpen products ranged in price from approximately $30 to $150 and have been sold online on Amazon.com and eBay.com from October 2008 to November 2010.

The playpens made from pine wood "can break, split and/or crack at points where screws or other hardware are located. Small, broken wooden pieces and hardware from the playpen can pose a risk of choking and laceration hazards to children. In addition, an unstable playpen can fall over onto a child, posing an entrapment hazard."  AOSOM has received 69 reports of the playpens breaking, splitting, or cracking.  Thus far, no injuries have been reported.

These wooden playpens were manufactured in China.  As stated in the CPSC recall notice, "consumers should immediately stop using the wooden playpens and contact AOSOM for instructions on how to return the product and receive a full refund."  For additional information, AOSOM can be called toll-free at (877) 644-9366 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or e-mailed at service@aosom.com. Consumers may also visit the firm's website at http://www.aosom.com  

Photos of the playpen products in question can be viewed at  http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11155.html

Childsafetyblog.org believes we should do more to prevent hazardous juvenile furniture from reaching the market in the first place--whether it is manufactured in China or elsewhere--child products need to be tested adequately and results accurately reported prior to the products getting into stores!

According to a recent article entitled "Pediatric Poisonings in Children Younger than Five Years Responded to by Paramedics", published in The Journal of Emergency Medicine (January 5, 2011), children one year of age and younger experience the greatest incidence of unintentional poisonings.  Medications are listed as the primary cause for the unintentional poisonings; and the thesis is that many other unintentional poisonings could be prevented if hazardous materials and medications were placed where children cannot access them. 

It is hard to believe that parents, family members, caregivers and babysitters in this day and age do not know that medicines (ours and our children's) should be kept in a locked medicine chest.  Insurers continually remind us that serious accidents happen most frequently in, or close to, our homes. Our world has become increasingly focused on taking medicines to "feel better fast" and medicines for every human need have proliferated so it's not surprising that our home medicine chests may be full to overflowing.

Today, there are even community programs which encourage people to periodically dispose of unused or outdated medicines in appropriate ways, not only in light of environmental concerns, but for the good of other family members and society.  Unused remainders of medicines and outdated medicines should not find their way into the hands of children--or those for whom they have not been prescribed.

It's no secret that toddlers get into things because they are curious and imitative at various stages of development. They like to put on dad's hat or mom's lipstick. Teething babies and toddlers like to put things in addition to their fingers in their mouths. Hence, the locked medicine cabinet is one more way of helping to keep them safe.  We have searched the Internet and found several lockable medicine cabinets for less than $100.  When it comes to children's lives, a lockable medicine cabinet is a good investment.

Beyond medicines, other hazardous materials should be placed where children cannot access them at all.  House cleaning products like toilet bowl cleansers, chlorinated powder cleansers, lime and soap scum removers, floor cleaning solutions and floor wax, degreasers, detergents, softeners and bleach, paint and paint thinning or paint removal materials (such as mineral spirits, turpentine, furniture stripper), kerosene heating and lamp oil, lighter fluid, chemical-containing compounds which are used to ease the opening of doors, drawers, and vents etc., can all be extremely hazardous if ingested.  Cosmetics one might keep in their bathroom cabinets, such as nail polish and nail polish remover or perfume, can also be hazardous if ingested.  Parents need to remember that babies can't read directions, so these items--just like matches--need to be kept in locked cabinets or on high shelves where even a child on a chair cannot reach them!

All spray cans should be placed out of children's reach.  From hair spray to insect spray, to spray paint. Spray cans contain chemicals to help their contents remain stable under pressure.  All are dangerous to children, so either pitch them or put them in a locked cabinet.  Cans or spray bottles with old or unused chemicals in them, such as herbicides and pesticides, should be pitched or placed out of children's reach in locked cabinets--and, Dad, this may mean building a lockable cabinet in the garage for your access only.

Above all, Childsafetyblog.org wants you and your children to be safe!