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According to the latest statistics from the National Safe Kids Campaign, the unintentional injury-death rate to children is down a dramatic 40-percent over the last 15 years, with 26,000 lives saved.
Heather Paul/ Dir., National Safe Kids Campaign: "UNINTENTIONAL CHILDHOOD INJURY IS STILL A FOREMOST KILLER IN THIS COUNTRY."
About 15 children a day die from preventable accidents. Dr. Marty Eichelberger is head of the trauma and burn unit at Children's Hospital in Washington DC. He says:
"CHILD'S INJURIES ARE NOT INEVITABLE, THEY ARE PREVENTABLE."
Having the best medical care in the world isn't enough if safety isn't practiced at home.
Simple steps can do a lot, like using appropriate car seats, taking pillows and comforters out of a child's crib, and lowering the water temperature in your home to 120 degrees.
Safe Kids also says new laws, safer built environments, and better safety devices for children have contributed to the lower death rate.
Pat Ferron/ Mother: "IT BREAKS MY HEART WHEN I SEE A CHILD WITHOUT A HELMET BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT HE IS SECONDS AWAY FROM."
Pat Ferron's son Steven was following his older brother across the street when he was hit by a car. Steven survived, but he's now permanently disabled.
Safe Kids says parents hold the key to keeping injuries and deaths down. It's paying close attention to the worlds greatest treasures.
Another easy thing to do is wear seatbelts. Sixty percent of those killed in auto accidents aren't belted. When a child outgrows a booster seat, use a seatbelt properly and never put the shoulder belt behind a child's back or under the arm.
