Summer

Childhood memories are flavored with fun summertime activities including trips to the beach, walks to the ice cream shop and rides around the neighborhood. But while you and your kids enjoy the seemingly carefree elements of summer, emergency room doctors know it as “trauma season.” This summer children ages 14 and under will be rushed to emergency rooms nearly 3 million times for serious injuries resulting from motor vehicle crashes, drownings, bike crashes, pedestrian incidents, falls and other hazards. More than 2,500 of these children will die.

Tragedies peak during the summer months (May to August) because children are supervised less, have more free time and engage in more outdoor activities. Don’t take a vacation from safety. Close supervision, proper protective gear, and other simple prevention steps will help your child avoid danger.

Read Trauma Season: A National Study of the Seasonality of Unintentional Childhood Injury (May 2001) to learn more about injury risks during the summer months.

To purchase educational materials about summertime and other childhood risks, check out our Resource Catalog (off-site link).