Special Concerns in Rural Areas.
The environment in many rural areas allows a child to be exposed to an array of hazards. Each year in the United States, about 70 children 14 years of age and younger die from injuries occurring on a farm. Children between 6 and 12 years of age are more likely to sustain injuries from farm equipment due to attempting farm tasks that are not ageappropriate while tractors, large animals, and falls are the primary cause for injuries on the farm for children 6 years of age and younger. SafeKids recommends that children under 16 years of age never drive or ride any type of all-terrain vehicle, snowmobile or tractor. Mowers, tractors and minibikes that are built to only hold one person should never carry additional passengers of any age. Watch out for water!! No matter how shallow, children should also be supervised near irrigation ditches, ponds and other bodies of water, according to Safe Kids. A small child can drown in just a few inches of water. In reality, drowning doesn’t happen like it does in the movies. A drowning child usually cannot cry or call for help — it happens quickly and silently.
Rural Roads Present Additional Dangers!
Motor vehicle traffic incidents are the number one cause of injury fatality for children between 1 and 14 years of age. Almost half of all fatal crashes occur in rural areas, per SafeKids. Never, ever let a child ride in the bed of a pickup truck. In a crash, the child would almost certainly be ejected and killed or suffer a permanent, lifechanging injury.
General Safety Tips for Everyone
1. Set your water heater no higher than 120 degrees F. At higher temperatures, it only takes three seconds to burn a child’s skin severely enough to require surgery. ·
2. Memorize this phone number: 800-222-1222. From anywhere in the United States, this toll-free number will connect you to the local Poison Control Center. ·
3. Test your smoke alarms every month and install carbon monoxide detectors in every sleeping area and near fuel-burning appliances. This invisible, odorless gas can be fatal. ·
4. Keep firearms unloaded and locked out of reach. And lock up ammunition in a separate place. ·
5. Keep emergency numbers by every phone.
6. Check your first aid kit to make sure it is fully stocked.