Be Ready, Be Buckled: Create Lifetime Seatbelt Wearers
Last updated on March 3rd, 2018 at 12:05 pm
In past articles I have written about various programs sponsored by the federal government that help to promote safety in kids. My most recent 
post was about distracted driving. For this post I have found a new program and site that I think is perfect to highlight and to showcase on this blog.
The program is called “Be Ready, Be Buckled”. Among its sponsors are the DOT, the National Highway Traffic safety administration and others. One aspect of the program is to encourage kids, K through 6th grade or age 5-12 to submit original artwork which focuses on the theme and supports the use of seat belts.
Some suggested questions or discussions to help inspire young artists include:
- Why is it important to buckle up every time while driving or riding in a bus, truck or car?
- How does the motto Safety Belts Save lives apply to bus and truck drivers as well as Kids and families.
- What would happen if a truck or bus driver did not buckle up on the job?
Two grand prize winners will be selected by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE). The top 12 will complete the 2011 calendar. The picture at the top of this post is last year’s winner.
Even if your child does not win they and the family will share a bonding experience over safety and will hopefully create lifetime seatbelt wearers and champions. Please feel free to submit a copy of your child’s artwork here: info@pediatricsafety.net – we would love to post it on Pediatric Safety and to help encourage everyone to buckle up. For more official information and for the contest entry form please go to:
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/safety-security/2011-ArtContest.pdf
Special Needs Kids, Dentists, Insurance, Oh My!
Last updated on March 3rd, 2018 at 12:07 pm
February is Kids National Dental Health Month. For some special needs children, everyday activities like getting a haircut or visiting a dentist can be a big challenge. My daughter recently needed to have a 
tooth extracted. Like many kids with special needs, she has been poked and prodded and now has a huge fear of anyone in a lab coat. She is less than cooperative. Her dentist decided it would be better to put her under anesthesia, so she would be relaxed and have no bad memory of the event.
Our insurance company didn’t agree with him, claiming it was a simple extraction for which they do not cover anesthesia. We ended up paying the anesthesiologist’s hefty fee out of pocket, even though the dentist’s office sent a letter explain the circumstances.
Looking back on the ordeal, I wonder if it was really even necessary. I think that when our special needs kids are concerned we are too quick to jump through hoops and get things done. Really, I don’t think would have been any terrible consequences in our case. Of course, this was not a medical emergency.
Learn from my bad mistakes – call your insurance company and discuss any upcoming procedures. Find out what is and isn’t covered. Until insurance companies understand the needs of special needs children, we must be their advocates.
For more information on dental care and special needs kids, check out another article I wrote here: http://www.examiner.com/special-needs-kids-in-los-angeles/dental-health-for-special-needs-kids
Child Passenger Safety is a 24/7/365 Job
Last updated on March 3rd, 2018 at 02:57 pm
For one week, Child Passenger Safety was on everyone’s mind! The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Ad Council combined to make an all-out effort to get the message out: parents and other caregivers need to make the right choices regarding child safety car seats…and resources are available…help is available.
But one week is not enough time to get the message out to all who need to hear it. Child passenger safety, when it comes to choosing the right car seat, installing it properly, and making sure it that it is appropriately latched, is an issue that requires addressing 24 hours a day/ 7days a week/ 365 days a year.
To that end, the message has to continue. Everyone you know who transports young children needs to know that free help is available for the purpose of making sure that they are choosing safe car seats and using them properly.
On Twitter: Any child passenger safety questions will be answered by an actual safety expert. Go to the @ChildSeatSafety account on Twitter.
On Facebook: The page at http://facebook.com/childpassengersafety is the place for parents to learn about the LATCH program, location of inspection offices, and any other up-to-date information from NHTSA.
On the Website: Created by the Ad Council, in conjunction with NHTSA, http://childcarsafety.adcouncil.org/ is a website for parents to go to in order to be able to view instructional videos, locate inspection stations, and take a fun quiz to make sure you have the correct information regarding child passenger safety.
The more caregivers who become aware of, and utilize this information, the more childrens’ lives we save.
sam p. | Hammonton, NJ; Tue., Aug. 25, 2009
Last updated on March 5th, 2018 at 07:54 am
i am signing this petition cause i greatly support what its all about and believe that obama and congress should listen to our arguments we are putting forth thank you
Higher Penalties For Unrestrained Children…Says an 8th Grader
Last updated on March 5th, 2018 at 08:00 am
It took an eighth-grader researching a civics project to get the attention of the public regarding a serious child safety issue. Alexa Sepulveda was so moved by what she learned, she wrote a letter to the editor and it was published by Shore News Today on April 28,-2009 Her letter was so incredibly insightful that I wanted to share it with you here in its entirety:
To the editor:
Hello, my name is Alexa Sepulveda and I am an eighth-grade student at the Galloway Township Middle School. I am currently doing a civics project and my topic is increasing the penalty for driving with an unrestrained child in the car.
This has become an issue which, in my opinion, isn’t addressed enough. I believe that the penalty should be increased because it would deter parents from not putting their children in a car seat or booster seat. Restraining a child in a car will make everyone safer while driving.
For my project I have done some research, and the facts are frightening. A study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in October 2002 showed that 42 percent of all unintentional childhood deaths were due to automobile crashes.
According to NHTSA, every day in the United States during 2006, an average of five children ages 14 and younger were killed due to crashes. During 2006, 6,983 car passengers age 14 and younger were involved in fatal crashes. For those children, 25 percent were unrestrained; among those who were fatally injured, 45 percent were unrestrained.
Most people think that they will never get into an accident, but it happens every day and you have to be prepared for when it does.
Many parents install car seats wrong, say they can’t pay for a seat or misuse it once it is installed. This is understandable for new parents or guardians whose financial situation isn’t good. For these reasons, many car dealerships, baby supply stores and police stations have places and times where you can take your car seat and they will install it in your car properly for you. If you are unable to buy a child restraint, there are many organizations that are more than willing to assist you in getting one.
As you can see, this is an ongoing issue all around us. In doing this topic as my project, I am hoping to make children safer, and to educate people about the need to restrain children to keep everyone safer.
Alexa reminds us of some important things: accidents can happen…we must make sure we are prepared so our children are safe if they do…and we are not alone, there are others who can help us get there.
Coincidentally, National Child Passenger Safety Week is coming on September 12th through 18th. It is sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). I’m hoping that all of you travelling in cars with young children take advantage of this opportunity to check that they are safely restrained. And a great big hug to Alexa Sepulveda for caring.
The Littlest Victims of The Recession – Part II
Last updated on January 10th, 2023 at 11:47 pm
I wrote several weeks ago about the effect the economic crisis was having on our littlest ones. How 44% of children’s hospitals were reporting increases in ER visits this year because people were avoiding insurance and doctor’s office visits they couldn’t afford, and delaying care until it was absolutely necessary. The message was clear: children and their parents, the people working night and day to care for them, were flooding ER’s across the country. And the effect this was having on our children’s health and wellbeing was starting to take its toll.
