SMART CYCLING
1. Buy approved bicycle helmets. Wearing a helmet reduces the risk of head injury by 85 percent and brain injury by almost 90 percent. Be sure to purchase only helmets that meet safety standards.
2. Teach safe bicycle behavior, including proper hand signals and riding on the right side of the road with the flow of traffic. Teach your kids that stoplight signals and traffic signs apply to bicyclists as well as motorists. When you're bicycling, set a good example by obeying the rules yourself.
3. Keep all bikes working properly. Are reflectors secure? Test the brakes. Make sure gears shift smoothly and tires are secured tightly and inflated to the correct level.
4. Encourage kids to ride on paths rather than in streets. Children who ride on streets are eight times more likely to be injured than those riding on bicycle paths.
BACKYARD BASICS
1. Always supervise children when they're playing, even if they're "only out in the backyard."
2. Secure fences and gates. Fix broken rails and check to see whether there are any protruding parts.
3. Remove poisonous plants. Many common household and garden plants can be poisonous, and should be kept out of children's sight and reach. Common poisonous garden and household plants include azaleas, holly, and philodendrons. (When camping or hiking, teach children to stay away from all unfamiliar plants and wild berries.)
4. Never leave gardening tools where children can find or fall on them.
5. Children can easily become dehydrated, especially as temperatures climb, so make sure they drink plenty of fluids, especially water.
SWIM SENSE
1. A dip in the pool or, the lake can be refreshing and lots of fun. But parents and caregivers need to be extremely vigilant with children around water. A child can drown in less than one inch of water - and it can happen in seconds - even in the short amount of time it takes to run inside to answer the telephone.
2. Never leave children alone in or near water. Parents and caregivers should always watch children when they're swimming, even in shallow wading pools in the yard.
3. Secure your pool or spa. Install a four-sided fence that is at least five feet high. The fence should have a self-closing and self-latching gate. Do not consider the exterior of your house as one side of the fence. If neighbors have a pool, discuss safety issues with them, and make sure it is properly fenced.
4. Children should learn to swim. Enroll children over the age of 3 in swimming lessons taught by qualified instructors.
5. Do not assume your child is "drown proof." Even after taking swimming lessons, kids need adult supervision.
6. Do not let a child dive unless an adult is present and knows the depth of the water. Diving should not be permitted in water less than five feet deep.
7.Teach kids to always swim with a buddy, never alone.
8. When boating, make sure everyone, including adults, has an appropriate flotation device.
9. Children should wear their life jackets at all times in the boat and anytime they're on land playing near the water.
