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American Morning
National SAFE KIDS Campaign Director Discusses Danger of Summer Months for Children
Aired May 03, 2001 - 09:39 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Summer vacation is right around the corner for most students, and parents are being warned that the summer months are the most dangerous time of year for children. A study released today shows that nearly half of all childhood deaths occur between May and August, with a spike in those rates in July. An estimated 3 million children will be rushed to emergency rooms this summer. That's according to the study by the National SAFE KIDS Campaign. And the most affected group are children aged 10 to 14.
Joining us with more on the findings is Heather Paul. She's the executive director of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.
Heather, good morning. Good to have you with us.
HEATHER PAUL, NATIONAL SAFE KIDS CAMPAIGN: Morning.
KAGAN: I think summer vacation, and the first thing I think is less supervision because the kids aren't in school.
PAUL: You're absolutely right. And we see the highest risks amongst older kids. That means that perhaps parents are giving them extra responsibilities, or they're emotionally independent. Nevertheless, we see a real spike in drownings; head drama from bike crashes; and motor vehicle-related deaths, coming from kids who are running across streets. It's so important that parents know that this really is the most dangerous time of the year.
KAGAN: Let's talk about those older kids first. It sounds like it's probably that age group that's too old -- maybe they go to summer day camp, and maybe not day care, but not old enough to have that summer job -- kind of the in-between age.
PAUL: You're right: That's the tweeners. Unfortunately, we see all too many who are not wearing helmets when they're rollerblading or biking, and probably a lot more kids in open bodies of waters maybe where they shouldn't be, unsupervised. So it's kind of intuitive we would know that summer is the most dangerous time, but now we're got the statistics behind it. We know that 2,500 children every summer are going to die this way unless we just practice a little more precaution.
KAGAN: You mentioned drowning, as well -- not just from the ocean and lakes and rivers, but so many people have swimming pools. I worked in Phoenix for 5 1/2 years and covered way too many childhood drownings. It's not kids left home alone; you always hear "I turned around just for a few seconds."
PAUL: It's very tragic. At least two-thirds of these deaths by drowning are in residential family pools, and they're the children four and under. That just means those toddlers slip away quietly -- they don't flail, they don't shout -- they just simply slip under the water, and within two to four minutes, they're unconscious and they die soon after. And these just don't have to happen. That family pool should be a happy place in the summer. With constant supervision, it could be.
KAGAN: You're right. These accidents don't have to happen. Let's talk about some of the things parents should be aware of.
PAUL: Since drowning is the number one risk in the summer, make sure that that home pool has four-sided fencing and self-locking gates, so access is really limited. And the fourth side of the house, that rec room with a sliding door, is not considered part of a fence.
KAGAN: Just because the kids have had swim lessons doesn't mean that they can handle the pool by themselves.
PAUL: Not at all.
KAGAN: What about helmets -- not for the pool, of course, but for bikes, rollerblades and such?
PAUL: We know that the bike helmet eliminates trauma about 75 percent of the time, so whether young or older kids are rollerblading, right now, we think helmets are cool. A lot of kids do too, but not enough. They should be in helmets when they're on wheels, at all times -- even in the driveway, because most of these serious injuries happen right near home.
KAGAN: Parents be aware: That's the message.
Heather Paul, thanks for stopping by and reminding us. We appreciate it.
PAUL: Thank you.
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