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Jackie Ferman
Phone -- 314.286.0375
ST. LOUIS, August 7, 2003 -- It’s the time of year for outdoor fun. And child safety experts say it’s great for kids to play outside, as long as they play it safe.
The number of children ages 14 and under who are stuck by automobiles has dropped in recent years, but such incidents remain the second leading cause of accidental death among children, surpassed only by car accidents.
Dr. Robert Kennedy, an emergency physician at St. Louis Children's Hospital, notes that during the summer months, the most dangerous time of day often is in the evening.
"It’s particularly bad in the evening time around 5 or 6 o'clock," says Dr. Kennedy "And that probably has to do with parents being busy preparing dinner and also with increased automobile traffic. But those evening hours are particularly risky. And as it gets darker and the children get harder to see, that poses an additional problem."
Dr. Kennedy adds that children ages 9 and under are at highest risk. Studies also find, that 81 percent of traffic-related child pedestrian deaths occur at non-intersections. A common scenario, he says, is the young child who darts into the street from between parked cars.
"One that we see on a regular basis is the children darting from between cars, so that the drivers don't have time to see the children. They're low below the cars and they don't have time to brake and so teaching children to cross streets at street corners and to look very carefully of course is critical."
Dr. Kennedy suggests that parents frequently review pedestrian safety with very young children, taking time to reinforce rules about looking both ways and using crosswalks.
And he reminds that adult supervision is key.
"Having a parent or an adult around to remind children as they impulsively chase after the ball that gets knocked out into the street -- to stop and look -- is critical. And then providing the children a safe place to play; taking them to the playground where they've got room to play, rather than in the front yard where it's 10 feet to the street and they're almost certainly going to end up there."
As children enjoy the last weeks of summer, Dr. Kennedy says reminding them about pedestrian rules also can help prepare youngsters to walk to school safely.
St. Louis Children’s Hospital has provided specialized care for children for more than 120 years. Children’s Hospital is affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine, ranked the second best medical school in the country by US News & World Report. In 2003, Child magazine ranked St. Louis Children’s Hospital sixth on its list of the 10 Best children’s hospitals in the country, and fourth in neonatology/neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). St. Louis Children’s Hospital also is a member of BJC HealthCare.