Safety Information

Georgia Child Safety Laws

• Child Safety Seat Law - All children under 6 years of age are required to ride in an appropriate child safety seat in the back seat.  (Safe Kids also recommends that children remain in a booster seat until at least 4 feet-9 inches tall).             40-8-76.1 (b) (1)
   
• Primary Safety Belt Law -  All children from 6-18 years of age who ride in a car, van or truck must wear a safety belt.  Only one person per belt.  (Safe Kids also recommends that children 13 and under ride in the back seat).                           40-8-76.1 (e) (3)
   
• Bike Helmet Law - All children under 16 years of age must wear an approved bicycle helmet while riding on public roads, sidewalks and bike paths.              50-6-296 (e) (1)
   
• Life Jacket Law - All children under 10 years of age on a moving vessel must wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved and appropriately sized personal flotation device (PFD).  The law does not apply when a child is within a fully enclosed roofed cabin or other fully enclosed roofed compartment or structure of the vessel.  (Floaties and toy-type rings are NOT approved flotation devices).         52-7-8 (d) (3)

  ---

Toy Safety

Each year, more than 3 billion toys and games are sold in the United States, with 65 percent of these sales occurring between the day after Thanksgiving and the day before Christmas. 

With millions of toys being recalled in recent months for having lead paint or dangerous magnets, it’s important to remember that the vast majority of toys are safe.  It’s no wonder, though, that parents and caregivers are nervous this year as they head into the biggest toy-buying season.

Safe Kids wants to make this holiday toy-shopping season as worry-free as possible while making sure shoppers are educated and vigilant.  The Toy Safety pages below offers parents and caregivers the information they need to keep their children safe and happy -- exactly what the holidays are all about. 

Toy Safety Tips	Keeping it Simple - FAQs
Before you head out to shop for toys this holiday season, take a look at these easy tips and keep them in mind for all the good little girls and boys on your list.  Safety tips >>	It’s not easy navigating the aisles of the toy stores during the holiday season, especially now that there are additional concerns about toy safety. Our FAQs will help take the worry out of shopping this season. Facts you need to know >>
Toy Buying Guide	Recalls
This handy pocket guide will fit right next to your shopping list and help you remember the rules of safe toy shopping.. More about the guide >>	Find out which toys are “naughty” or “nice” with up-to-the-minute information about recalls.  Check the recall lists (twice, if you need to) and sign up for recall email alerts from Safe Kids and the CPSC.    More about recalls >>

Fire Prevention Week - October 7-13.

Young children, especially those ages 5 and under, are at greatest risk from home fire-related death and injury, with a fire death rate twice the national average.  A less acute perception of danger, less control over their environment and a limited ability to react promptly to a fire contribute to this excess risk.

Plan and practice several fire escape routes from each room of the home, and identify a safe outside meeting place for older children.  Practicing an escape plan may help children, who can become frightened and confused, to escape to safety in a fire.

Install smoke alarms in your home on every level and in every sleeping area.  Test them once a month.  Replace the batteries at least 2 times a year, such as when daylight savings time starts and ends.  Replace all alarms every 10 years.  For the best protection against different types of fires, consider installing both ionization alarms (better at sensing flaming fires) and photoelectric alarms (better at sensing slow, smoky fires).

Lead Poisoning:  The Silent Epidemic

Behavioral problems                                     Coma

Learning problems/poor memory               Death

Where is Lead Found?

Lead paint chips and dust – Most children get lead poisoning when they eat paint chips or inhale dust from peeling lead paint, in or outside houses.  Houses built before 1978 are more likely to contain lead paint. 

Soil – Soil around the house can be contaminated by lead dust from exterior paint used on porches and house siding.  Lead can also be found in soil under or around old playground equipment.

Mini or Venetian blinds – Imported vinyl mini-blinds can be a lead poisoning hazard for young children.  Over time, sunlight and heat cause lead dust to form on the surface of mini-blinds.  Children inhale this lead dust and get lead poisoning.

Drinking water – You may have lead in your drinking water if your home has faucets or fittings made of brass, your home has lead pipes, your home has copper pipes and solder or your home has naturally soft water.

Jobs that use lead – Working parents may bring lead home on clothes and shoes.  Jobs that may use lead include: painting, construction or home remodeling, radiator repair, battery or scrap metal recycling, pottery manufacturing, working with guns or ammunition, industries using lead solder, roadwork and shipbuilding.

Is Your Child at Risk?

If you answer “yes” to any of the questions below, please contact your doctor’s office or health clinic to have your child tested.

·      Does your child live in a house/apartment built before 1978?

·      Does your child live in a house/apartment built before 1978 that is being remodeled at this time?

·      Has anyone living with your child had elevated lead levels?

·      Does anyone living with your child work in a lead industry (radiator shop, battery manufacturer or bridge worker), or have a hobby that uses lead (welder, painter or others)?

·      Does your child eat paint chips or any non-food items?

·      Does your child play in a dirt yard where cars sometimes are parked?  Does your child play in a yard near a major highway?

·      Does your child live near an active lead smelter, battery recycling  plant or other industry likely to release lead?

Prevent Lead Poisoning with Good Nutrition

A child with poor nutrition will absorb more lead than a child with a healthy diet.  Healthy low-fat meals and snacks can help prevent your child from being lead poisoned.

Choose foods high in:

·      Iron (chicken, turkey, beef, greens, spinach, raisins, nuts and seeds)

·      Calcium (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream)

·      Vitamin C (oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, strawberries, cantaloupe, tomatoes, bell peppers, orange juice, grapefruit juice and lemonade)

Take Away Tips

Childhood lead poisoning is serious, but you can prevent it.

·    Have your CHILD TESTED for it.

·    TEACH YOUR CHILD TO WASH HIS/HER HANDS before meals, naps and bedtime.

·     WASH TOYS, stuffed animals and pacifiers REGULARLY.

·      DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CHILD TO EAT OR CHEW ITEMS that may contain lead.

·      TEACH YOUR CHILD TO PLAY ON GRASS or in a sandbox – not in the dirt.

·      REMOVE IMPORTED BLINDS if they contain lead.  Replace them with new blinds that do not contain lead.

·      DO NOT STORE FOOD in opened cans.

·      RUN WATER FROM THE TAP for one to two minutes before drinking.  This will rinse the lead out that may collect overnight.

·      TEST YOUR HOME for lead.

·      GET A QUALIFIED LEAD PROFESSIONAL to remove lead paint from your home.  Do not remove lead paint yourself.

To download the Lead Poisoning Education Flyer click here.  For more information, please visit the National Safety Council at www.nsc.org.

The Importance of Having a Good Photo of Your Child

One of the most important tools for law enforcement to use in the case of a missing child is an up-to-date, good-quality photograph. Noted below are some tips for parents and guardians regarding such a photograph.

• The photograph should be a recent, head-and-shoulders color photograph of the child in which the face is clearly seen. It should be of "school-portrait" quality, and the background should be plain or solid so it does not distract from the subject.
  
   
• When possible the photograph should be in a digitized form, and available on a compact disk (CD), as opposed to just a hard copy. This minimizes the time necessary to scan, resize, and make color corrects before disseminating it to law enforcement.
  
   
• The photograph should be an accurate depiction of the child, not overly posed or "glamorized." Nor should other people, animals, or objects be in the photograph. The photograph should not be taken outside, out of focus, torn, damaged, or very small.
  
   
• The photograph should have space for accurate, narrative description useful to identify the child such as name, nickname, height, weight, sex, age, eye color, identifying marks, glasses, and braces.
  
   
• The photograph should be updated at least every six months for children 6 years of age or younger and then once a year, or when a child's appearance changes.
  
   
• All copies of child's photograph and information should be maintained in an easily accessible, secure space by the parents or guardian. The photograph and data should not be stored in a public database.

Source: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, www.missingkids.com.

New Requirements in Effect for Child Care Transportation - effective 7/1/07

For Traditional 12 or 15 Passenger Vans and Shuttle Buses

• All children under age 6 must be in a car seat or booster seat appropriate for their age and weight and children age 6 and older must be in safety belts.
• NOTE: It is not a violation of any law to continue using vans after July 1, 2007 as long as all children under age 6 are properly restrained in an appropriate child restraint system.

For School Buses and Multifunction School Activity Buses (MFSAB)

• Children must be in a safety seat per the child care licensing regulations - no car seats or booster seats are required by law.
• NOTE: In 1999, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released the Guideline for the Safe Transportation of Pre-School Age Children in School Buses.  The Guideline recommends pre-school age children transported in school buses always be transported in properly secured child restraint systems.  For more information - visit www.nhtsa.gov.

  ---

How Long Should Babies Ride Rear Facing in the Car?

Safety experts and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend that children remain rear facing as long as possible and never travel forward facing before they are one year-old and also weigh at least 20 pounds.  This reduces their risk of serious neck or spinal cord injury and lifelong disability.  All new convertible seats available today allow children to remain rear facing until they weigh 30 pounds or more, depending on the model.

Babies have heavy heads and fragile necks.  In a crash, an infant’s soft spinal column can stretch, leading to spinal cord damage if he is riding forward facing too soon.  The baby could die or be paralyzed permanently.  This is true even for babies who have strong neck muscles and good head control.  The neck bones are flexible, and the ligaments are loose to allow for growth.

If the baby is forward facing in a frontal crash, which is the most common and most severe type of crash, the body is held back by the straps – but the head is not.  The head is thrust forward, stretching the neck and the easily injured spinal cord.  Older children in forward facing safety seats or safety belts may end up with temporary neck injuries or fractures that will heal.  But a baby’s neck bones actually separate during a crash, which can allow the spinal cord to be ripped apart.  Picture what happens if someone yanks an electrical plug out of a socket by the cord, causing the wires to break.

In contrast, when a baby rides rear facing, the whole body – head, neck and torso – is cradled by the back of the safety seat in a frontal crash.  Riding in a rear facing safety seat also protects the baby better in other types of crashes, particularly side impacts, which are extremely dangerous, if not quite so common.

If the baby is riding in an infant only safety seat – the type that usually has a handle and detachable base – it should be replaced with a rear facing convertible seat before the baby reaches the maximum weight specified (20-22 pounds for most models) or the top of the head is within an inch of the top edge of the safety seat.  Most babies outgrow the typical infant only safety seat before they are 9 months old, but they are not ready for a forward facing safety seat.

Convertible safety seats currently sold in the United States can be used in the rear facing position up to 30 pounds or more.  For the best protection available, children should ride rear facing until they are 18-24 months old.  Click here for the Spanish version.

Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports Toolkit

ATVs and Children

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Safe Kids Gainesville/Hall County recommend that children under the age of 16 should never ride on or operate ATVs of any size, including youth-sized ATVs.  Handling characteristics of ATVs are different than other vehicles.  Because children often lack the physical, strength, cognitive abilities and fine motor skills needed to operate ATVs properly, their risk of injury is greater than for adults. 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Position on Re-using Child Safety Seats after a Motor Vehicle Crash

• NHTSA recommends that child safety seats be replaced following a moderate or severe crash to ensure a continued high level of crash protection for child passengers.
• NHTSA recommends that child safety seats do not automatically need to be replaced following a minor crash.
• Minor crashes are those that meet ALL of the following criteria:
  
       The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site;
  
       The vehicle door nearest the child safety seat was undamaged;
  
       There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants;
  
       The air bags (if present) did not deploy; AND
  
       There is no visible damage to the child safety seat
   
• Clarifying the need for child safety seat replacement will reduce the number of children unnecessarily riding without a child safety seat while a replacement is being acquired, and the number of children who will have to ride without a child safety seat if a seat were discarded and not replaced.  The clarification will also reduce the financial burden of unnecessary replacement.  For more information, visit www.nhtsa.gov.

  ---

Fact Sheets and Safety Safety Tips

Prevention is the cure.  Safe Kids Worldwide has developed fact sheets and safety tips for common childhood injuries.  Please click below to learn how to keep your kids safe from accidental injuries.

Troy Bennett of the Gainesville Fire Department at a recent community health fair.

Officers Kevin Holbrook and Pam Mitchell of the Gainesville Police Department having fun at INK.

Deputy Nathan Manley of the Hall County Sheriff's Department and Jessica Kirby check a child safety seat at a recent check event.

Lindsey Parramore Oliver and Ingrid Bravo-Bearden of WellCare at a community health fair.

Bitsy Bird, RN performs finger sticks at a recent lead testing event.

 
Officer Griggs Wall of the Gainesville Police Department checks a child safety seat.

Debbie Wilburn of the Hall County Extension Office teaches a child safety seat class at the Hall County Health Department.

Officer Kevin Holbrook of the Gainesville Police Department checks a student's helmet.

Safe Kids members Janet Peluso and Beverley Walker at a program at East Hall High School.

Chris Phillips of NGMC's Advanced Sports Medicine teaches a Sports Safety Class at Gainesville Elementary.