According to UNICEF data, some 20,000 children die each year in the countries of the so-called "first world" victims of traffic accidents, drowning deaths, falls, fires, poisonings and ill-treatment. Traffic accidents represent a high percentage of these deaths and there are other risks that affect health in serious accidents without death.
In Spain, child accidents represent around 5% of traffic accidents that occur every year. This means that, despite the downward trend of recent years, about 50 children die each year on average, and more than 5,000 are injured (15% with serious injuries). What can parents do to prevent traffic injuries in children?
We can act from different fronts, since our children, like us, "intersperse" in different ways with the road, with the streets of the cities ... As pedestrians, as passengers or by bicycle, let's see the different tips.
The child as a pedestrian
It is important that the little ones learn to respect the traffic signs, to cross the marked places, safe and with visibility. Obviously, the smaller the less capacity they will have to learn the meaning of the more frequent signals, but road education, from home and from school, It is important. You have to teach them to walk correctly on the sidewalk. Young children, up to six or seven years old, should always go hand in hand and walk on the inside side of the sidewalk.
The boy as a cyclist
If we are an active family, surely the bicycle will be part of your leisure time, first as a passenger, then as a driver. As passengers, in addition to wearing a properly adjusted helmet, children must travel in an additional approved seat. According to the General Traffic Regulations, the bicycle driver must be of legal age and the passenger must not be less than one year old (they do not have enough muscular strength to control the mobility of the head) or more than seven.
For small cyclists, choose a bicycle suitable for the size and height of the child: the child should be able to sit on the saddle, with his hands on the handlebars and place the toes on the ground. The saddle must be at the same height as the handlebar, at a distance that allows the leg that is stretched on the pedal to have the knee slightly bent. For your first practices you can choose a bicycle with removable wheels.
It is mandatory that children under 16 take notice. You have to choose an approved helmet, suitable for your age and teach him to wear it correctly. You also have to teach the little ones to circulate in the right places, to know the basic signs and to bring reflective elements.
The passing child: how to take a child by car.
In general, in the car, children should always go in the rear seats. Never carry the child in your arms, or loose, always use a suitable child restraint system. An adult should not share the belt with the child because it could be crushed. It is extremely important to use belts and child restraint systems correctly. Harnesses or belts should not be twisted, loose or bent. Child restraint systems are mandatoryThey must be perfectly installed, they must not move and the best option is the anchorage through the Isofix system, which many vehicles already have.
Child restraint systems are divided into groups, and we must adjust them to the child's weight and age as they grow:
- Group 0: up to 10kg (newborns up to 1 year).
- Group 0+: up to 13 kg (newborns up to 18 months).
For these two groups the DGT recommends bringing the systems always in the opposite direction to the march, as it offers greater protection of the head, neck and spine.
- Group 1: from 9 to 18 kg (approx. 1 year to 4 years).
- Group 2: 15 to 25 kg (approx. 3 to 6 years).
- Group 3: from 22 to 36kg (approx. 5 to 12 years old).
Groups 2 and 3 correspond to booster seats and cushions. The DGT recommends using the elevator with backrest, as it offers greater safety.
Children under 12 years of age that are equal to or greater than 135 centimeters, can directly use their own seat belts, although it is advisable that children, up to 150 centimeters, continue to use the child restraint systems homologated to their size and weight
In addition, we must reinforce appropriate behaviors and behaviors inside the vehicle: teach them not to distract the driver or throw anything through the windows, explain that they should get on and off the vehicle on the side near the sidewalk ...
Of course, we are his example and we must respect the traffic rules and the rest of the drivers. In this way we not only prevent injuries from traffic accidents now, but in the future they will understand the importance of being good drivers.
Photos | iStock
Via | Healthy lifestyles
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