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The Champion, Thursday, June 25 - July 1, 2015 EDITORIAL
Page 4A
Everyone’s responsible for keeping children safe this summer
Summer hadn’t even of
ficially started and the news
of youth tragedies had al
ready begun to mount.
A 10-year-old boy in
Lithonia was shot in the
head at home on June 15. A
teen in Fayette County was
gunned down leaving a pool
party in Fayette County on
June 13. A young girl nearly
drowned at a Stone Moun
tain pool June 2.
Late spring and sum
mer are supposed to be the
seasons of endless play and
fun for our children, but the
reality is both are also dan
gerous seasons for youth.
“Every child’s death is
heartbreaking, no matter
what the cause. But when a
child dies from an uninten
tional injury, it is particu
larly tragic, because almost
every single death could
have been prevented,” states
Martin R. Eichelberger,
chairman of Safe Kids
Worldwide in a May 2007
report. “A bike helmet can
keep a skateboard fall from
causing a fatal brain injury.
A four-sided fence can pre
vent a toddler from entering
the pool and drowning. A
booster seat can keep a child
alive during a car crash.”
In Safe Kids U.S. Sum
mer Safety Ranking Report,
drowning, bike and wheel
sports, falls, motor vehicle
and pedestrian were noted
as major risk areas.
According to Safe
Kids, unintentional injury
remains the No. 1 killer
of children in the United
States, with more than 2,000
children dying each sum
mer from injuries that could
have been prevented.
Accidents along with
senseless violence take the
lives of too many children,
and regardless of the season
parents, caregivers and the
community at large must be
vigilant in our protection
and guardianship of our
youth.
Parents and caregivers
should realize that being
carefree only goes so far in
the summer. They must set
rules and boundaries for
children, talk to them about
the dangers that exist, advise
them about what they can
do to keep themselves safe
and take away privileges
when they don’t follow rules.
For older children, it’s
equally important that we
emphasize personal respon
sibility and consideration
of potential threats to their
safety when they are with
friends and others. As is
always the case with young
people, these topics should
be discussed over and over
again.
In its summer safety
report, Safe Kids outlined
that parents and caregivers
should actively supervise
children, use appropriate
safety gear and evaluate the
effectiveness of safety prod
ucts.
Keeping safety top of
mind should be priority No.
1 so the summer of 2015 will
be remembered as one re
markable only for all the fun
had and memories made.
7ivz, ^
CHAMPION
Tiewtpapw--
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