Injury Prevention

Seat Belt Safety

According to the SafeKids website, vehicle crashes remain the number one killer of children ages 2-14 in the United States, Safe Kids Buckle Up, teaches parents and caregivers how to buckle children up the right way, on every ride.

Safe Driving

Auto accidents are often preventable by paying attention to your surroundings and driving within the speed limit. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that speeding was a contributing factor in 31% of fatal car crashes in 2007.

Safe Driving Tips from Teen Driving 

• Always wear your seat belt-and make sure all passengers buckle up, too.
• Adjust your car’s headrest to a height behind your head-not your neck. This helps minimize whiplash in case you’re in an accident.
• Never try to fit more people in the car than you have seatbelts for them to use.
• Obey the speed limits, going too fast gives you less time to stop or react. Excess speed is one of the main causes of teenage accidents.
• Don’t run red lights.
• Use turn signals to indicate your intention to turn or to change lanes. Turn it on to give the cars behind you enough time to react before you take the action. Also, make sure the signals turns off after you’ve completed the action.
• When a stoplight turns green, make sure the intersection clears before you proceed.
• Make sure your windshield is clean. At sun rise and sun set, light reflecting off your dirty windshield can momentarily blind you from seeing what’s going on.
• Make sure your car has gas in it. Don’t ride around with the gauge on empty-who knows where you might get stranded.
• Don’t’ drink and drive, and don’t ride with anyone else who has been drinking. Call parents or friends to take you home if you need a ride.
• Don’t take drugs or drive if you’ve taken any. Don’t ride with anyone who has been using drugs. Even some over the counter drugs can make you drowsy. Check labels for warnings.

Learn more from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Falls

Protect Your Loved Ones From Falling

• Speak Up. Talk openly with your loved one and their healthcare provider about fall risks and prevention.
• Keep Moving. Activities that improve balance and strengthen legs can prevent falls and help your loved one feel more confident.
• Have Eyes & Feet Checked. Being able to see and walk comfortably can prevent falls. Eyes and feet should be checked by a professional at least once a year.
• Make the Home Safe. Most falls happen at home. Keep floors clutter-free, make sure the home has lots of light and install hand rails where necessary.

 In case of an emergency, please call 9-1-1.

Suicide Prevention

Risk Factors

• Depression
• Substance abuse

Warning Signs

• Ideation (thinking, talking or wishing about suicide)
• Substance use or abuse (increased use or change in substance)
• Purposelessness (no sense of purpose or belonging)
• Anger Trapped (feeling like there is no way out)
• Hopelessness (there is nothing to live for, no hope or optimism)
• Withdrawal (from family, friends, work, school, activities, hobbies)
• Anxiety (restlessness, irritability, agitation)
• Recklessness (high risk-taking behavior)
• Mood disturbance (dramatic changes in mood)

Additional Warning Signs of Suicide

• Talking about suicide
• Looking for ways to die (internet searches for how commit suicide, looking for guns, pills, etc.)
• Statements about hopelessness, helplessness, or worthlessness.
• Preoccupation with death.
• Suddenly happier, calmer.
• Less of interest in things one cares about.
• Visiting or calling people one cares about.
• Making arrangements, setting one’s affairs in order.
• Giving things away, such as prized possessions.

For more information, visit Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE)

In an emergency, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1.800.273.8255

Click here for resources for Veterans and people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have hearing loss.

Are you or someone you know feeling suicidal? Call New Hampshire’s 24-hour Crisis Line:

The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester
24 hours a day/7 days a week
603.668.4111

Child Safety

Children can be prone to accidents because they are developing motor skills and coordination. Protective gear is available so children can enjoy their favorite activities and avoid injury. Some examples include: helmets, seat belts, car seats, wrist guards, gloves, knee pads, life preservers and mouth guards.

Playtime isn’t the only place to think about protecting your children. Safety devices are available for inside the home as well. These include gates that prevent toddlers from falling, safety locks and latches that prevent access to harmful or heavy items, door know covers and locks that prevent access to areas that could prove dangerous like a swimming pool or shed, bumpers that cover sharp edges around the home and outlet covers to prevent your child from being electrocuted.

For more information on child safety, visit:

• The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Safe Kids Worldwide 
• MyChildSafety.net

Bicycle Safety

Each year, more than 500,000 people in the US are treated in emergency departments, and more than 700 people die as a result of bicycle-related injuries.

Children are at particularly high risk for bicycle-related injuries. In 2001, children 15 years and younger accounted for 59% of all bicycle-related injuries seen in US emergency departments.

Helmets are cool! – Wear your helmet!

Safety Tips
We can make bicycling safer for all by observing the following safety tips:

• Always wear a helmet
• Obey all traffic controls
• Ride your bicycle near the right-hand edge of the road
• Never carry another person on your bicycle
• Always use hand signals when turning or stopping
• Look out for cars at cross street, driveways, and parking places
• Be careful when checking traffic and don’t swerve when looking over your shoulder
• Give pedestrians the right-of-way
• Keep your bicycle in good condition
• Always ride carefully

Remember a bicycle is a vehicle. Bicyclists share a complex traffic environment with other larger forms of transportation. Youngsters under age nine lack the physical and mental development to interact safety in that environment.

Learn more about bicycle related injuries and how you can prevent them:

• Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center
• Kids and Bicycle Safety