Southeast Missouri Hospital

• 85% of children who are placed in child safety seats are improperly restrained.
  
• Young children can drown in less than one inch of water in a matter of seconds.
  
• Some children are needlessly burned because they believe clothes protect them from flames.
  

• Kids between the ages of 4-8 years old (approximately 40 to 80 pounds) should be restrained in a "belt positioning" booster seat when riding in a vehicle

• Bicycle helmets have been shown to reduce the risk of head injury by 85% and the risk of brain injury as much as 88%.

• A child can fall out a window that is open only five inches.

• In a vehicle crash at 30 mph, an unbelted child would hit the dashboard with as much force as a fall from a three-story building.

• Injuries from accidents are the leading health risk facing American children.
  

We call them "accidents," but most childhood injuries can be predicted and prevented. The fact is some basic safety steps can save thousands of children from death, and hundreds of thousands more from being disabled for life.

Injury prevention is not difficult. It doesn't cost a lot or take much time. But it does require your attention and some effort. And it's worth it -- both for you and your children.

Make safety a habit in your family. Set a good example. Teach your children to think Safety!