
Protect a
child!
Save a life!
Here’s how...
10 Simple Ways to Protect Children
1) When driving, buckle up – and
buckle up children, too, all the time, every time, every person in the
motor vehicle. Make sure the right size motor vehicle safety equipment
is correctly installed. All children are safest in the rear of a motor
vehicle, regardless of their age or size. Never drive with a child under
age 12 years in the front seat of a motor vehicle equipped with a
passenger airbag. If deployed, front airbags can break their necks.
Remind teenage drivers often about the importance of buckling up all the
time, every time!
2) Never leave young children alone in cars or around cars, even for a
minute. Keep car doors locked when in the driveway or garage, so
children cannot shut themselves in the car. A child trapped in a hot car
can suffer brain damage in minutes.
3) Keep adult eyes on children around water at all times. There is no
better way to prevent child drowning than adult supervision. Layers of
protection for drowning prevention, such as fences and locks, can only
work when they are used.
4) Use a lock on every window and door, including utility and pet doors
that lead to a swimming pool area or to a body of water. Make sure the
locks to doors to the outside are out-of-reach and cannot be unlocked by
small children. An inexpensive door latch can save lives from drowning,
traffic injuries and child abduction.
5) Water is everywhere in Palm Beach County. Learn water safety and how
to swim, and make sure your children do too.
6) Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) for infants, children and
adults.
7) Teach children about pedestrian safety. Watch young children closely
around traffic areas, including streets in the neighborhood. Children
can dart out in front of motor vehicles so quickly.
8) Be a role model to children. Make it a habit to buckle up and wear
protective gear, such as a safety helmet when bicycling or roller-blading.
Children around us watch and learn from all of us, but especially from
the significant adults and older children in their lives.
9) Learn about safe infant sleeping. This includes healthy infants
sleeping on their backs in a safe sleeping environment where they cannot
suffocate on a soft sleep surface or with blankets, stuffed animals,
toys or diapers.
10) Most of all, LOVE children. They are our most precious resource!
They need our love, affection, attention, guidance, support and
protection to survive and to thrive.
From the Palm Beach County
Child Fatality Review and Prevention Project (CFR).
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