Having kids is a reason for a parent to educate and be watchful. Children are exposed to a lot of accidents in the house, at school, and during their outdoor play. These children should be well informed and educated about the dangers and risks they may face in their lives concerning accidents.
Different children face different types of accidents and injuries. Older children are more likely to experience fractures than the younger ones. The younger children also have a higher percentage of burns and ingestion accidents compared to their older counterparts. In addition to age, gender also plays a vital role in accidents where male children experience a higher percentage of accidents compared to female ones. Parenting education should be the parents’ priorities. Some of the accidents that children face include:
a. Car Accidents
When children become of age and they learn how to drive, it even becomes stressful for parents. Young children often have the anxiety of driving different types of cars. As these children drive these cars, they can make mistakes that can cause accidents to them. A car accident Utah drivers fear is a good reason to offer parents tips on how to caution their children concerning car accidents.
Parents should be the primary teachers to their children on road safety. The parents should do this by teaching their children about road safety from a young age. Before parents can afford to teach their children on road safety, they should know the following about children:
- Children have difficulty in judging. When children are new in driving cars, it takes them a while to gather enough driving skills. They are often poor judges in matters of seeing objects, distance estimation, and identifying the direction of speed.
- Young children need to be taught on road usage since they cannot use the road correctly on their own. Due to the little experience the children have, they should be educated on how to act in case they encounter a dangerous condition that needs an immediate response. They should learn how to understand timing and speed.
Before children get to learn how to drive, parents should teach them how they should be responsible drivers. They should clearly illustrate to their children on the dangers that they will face on the roads and how to curb them. These prepare the children psychologically by making them aware of car accidents.
b. Falls
Falls are dangerous to children in that they cause fractures or even death. These falls occur when the children slip and fall from balconies, stairs, or through windows. The most dangerous falls are those when a child falls from a greater height or when the child falls on sharp or hard objects.
c. Fires
Fires may also cause injuries and death to children. The domestic fires occur when children play with matches and lighters in the house. These can start up house fires that can even burn the entire house. Other fires can also be caused by mishandling of electric cables and appliances.
d. Scalds and Burns
Burns cause severe injuries to children. These injuries are often painful and take a lot of time to heal. Hot drinks are the leading causes of burns in younger children. Hot bath water mainly causes injuries in older children.
Parents should tell their children what to do in case of an accident on the road. Some of the essential things to do in case of an accident are:
- Stop the car immediately. Stopping the vehicle enables you to have some time of evaluation on all kinds of incurred injuries. They may even include the car breakdowns that may have occurred. Also, stopping ensures no more damage and injuries incurred.
- Ensure the scene is protected. Protection of scene involves setting flares that show other motorists that there is an accident at the scene. This can also prevent the occurrence of further accidents.
- Call the police. Calling the police provides a better opportunity to report the incident so investigations on the causes for the accident can be done. The police will also recommend medical procedures to be undertaken.
Parents should be both teachers and role models to their children on matters concerning road safety. They should also be equipped with knowledge on road safety to know what to teach their children. Therefore, they should be updated on road safety by reading articles and books relating to road safety.
