At this time of year, parents and families are getting ready for back to school, and that means school buses. While school buses are generally safe, they are involved in traffic collisions which can cause devastating injuries.
In Hollywood and other communities, pedestrian accidents are actually more likely with school buses. The greatest moments of danger for children are when they are disembarking or boarding the bus. There are a few ways you can help keep your kids safe:
Parents often rely on cars to get children to school, appointments, and activities. In fact, most children in Hollywood and South Florida are driven around in cars every day. Parents may not consider it, but for many kids this is the most dangerous activity they take part in.
Car accidents in Hollywood and other communities can cause serious injuries and fatalities to child passengers. Since children are smaller and are still growing, serious injuries can affect them and their development more than similar injuries might affect adults.
You may think your children are too young to talk to about car safety before the age of 16 or so, but it is one of the most important conversations you will have with your kids, regardless of their age. The reality is that long before your children have their learner’s permit, they will be driven around by other people, including family, friends, babysitters, and more. They are still at risk of auto accidents, long before they can drive. In fact, car accidents in Hollywood and other South Florida communities are a leading cause of injuries and fatalities involving children.
Of course, the adults in your child’s life have a responsibility to keep your child safe. However, it’s never too early to start teaching your children a healthy respect for cars and teaching them the good habits they will need for the rest of their life. From an early age, you will want to talk to them about several topics:
Halloween driving can put pedestrians at risk. On Halloween, children may be running around trick or treating or enjoying the holiday. That, combined with parties on October 31, can create the risk of pedestrian accidents in Homestead and other cities.
Whether you have children or not, there are several things you can do to reduce your risk of traffic collisions:
Kids have a fascination with trucks and one way to encourage their interest is with truck shows. Truck shows feature the latest vehicles as well as impressive stunts. Many cater to kids, with children’s activities and even toys.
Truck shows can be a fun excursion for the whole family and a way to spend time together, but it’s important to keep safety in mind. Serious injuries have occurred at truck shows due to the speed and impact of the trucks involved. To prevent childhood injuries in Homestead and your community, follow these tips:
In Hollywood and across South Florida, car accidents are an obvious and frequent cause of injury. Children who are in a car injured in a car collision can suffer from many types of serious and life-threatening injuries. However, a vehicle doesn’t have to be on the road for it to pose serious risks to a child.
Some of the less known risks to kids in vehicles include:
Each year, up to 20 people across the country die because they are trapped in the trunk of a car. Most of these incidents occur either with children playing around a car and getting stuck in the trunk or occur because a child or adult is placed in the trunk of a car during a crime.
Since 2002, it has been mandatory for cars to have trunk release handles inside the car’s trunk and by law these trunk releases must be glow-in-the-dark. Older cars may not have this feature. If you have an older car, you may be able to get a retrofit kit to make your trunk safer. Beyond this step, there are other things you can do to prevent trunk entrapment:
Power windows are a convenient feature of many cars, but they exert enough force to seriously injure or even kill a child. While many parents are aware of the importance of car seats or the dangers of car accidents in Hollywood and their communities, they may not consider that something as simple as a window can kill.
Windows can move up quickly and with enough force to crush small hands and arms. There have also been some fatal incidents involving children placing their head through the window and sustaining fatal injuries when a power window was activated. Since power windows are easy to operate, a small child may be able to make the window move easily. Children may have an interest in watching the windows move, which can mean they end up trapped.
In 2018 so far, there have been 35 fatalities caused by children being left behind in cars. These tragedies can be prevented, and it is especially important that parents in Miami and across South Florida be aware of the problem, since temperatures can be so high in this part of the country.
There are many factors which can contribute to this tragedy. One is that children are small and are usually kept in the rear seat for their own safety. This can make them easy to overlook in the rear-view mirror and when you walk away from the car, especially if they fall asleep. In addition, children are more susceptible than adults to overheating, so even a short while in a hot car can be fatal.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas which can be fatal. With no warning signs, it can enter your home and cause sleepiness as well as fatalities, so taking precautions is important. Cars are a major source of carbon monoxide and unfortunately, with our homes being more tightly sealed to ensure energy efficiency, carbon monoxide risks can occur in many homes.
You can keep yourself and your family safe by:
Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog