The National Fire Protection Association offers a quiz on fire safety designed to help people learn about the major fire dangers and change the way they respond to them. Recommends that families sit down and take the quiz together, focusing on the correct answers provided. (SM)

Presents a brief quiz for parents to see if their child's school building is taking basic steps to ensure a safe learning environment (e.g., Is the building locked? Are strict guidelines in place when students participate in field trips? Is adult supervision always maintained on playgrounds?). Suggested action plans are included. A sidebar offers…

In this study, the authors investigated a social marketing intervention to increase the use of bicycle helmets on a university campus in the southeastern United States. Focus groups of students developed a bicycle helmet program slogan and logo (ie, "The Grateful Head"). The authors trained student bicyclists who already used helmets (n…

This report is designed to be used in conjunction with the Texas Child Fatality Review Team Annual Report, which provides a comprehensive analysis of the incidence of child death in Texas and examines the state's fatality response system. Four types of preventable death are the focus of this report: deaths by drowning, gunshot wounds, poisoning,…

Changing transportation policies, involving parents, and working with children and community leaders are methods that early childhood educators can use to increase the transportation safety of the children in their programs. Included is an annotated bibliography on preschool child transportation safety. (AS)

Discusses how and why accidents with toys happen and provides guidelines for selection of safe and developmentally appropriate toys. Covers selection of toys for infants, toddlers, and preschool children and includes a list of examples of unsafe toys and their manufacturers. (EV)

Guidelines to help parents explain traffic safety to children cover the following: school bus safety (e.g., remain seated, do not shout); walking (e.g., obey traffic signals, cross at crosswalks); driving (e.g., wear seatbelts, enter and exit from the curb side); and biking (e.g., wear helmets, do not ride at night). (SM)

The importance of motor development has been well understood by early childhood educators for many years. Unfortunately, they have received little in the way of guidance from designers or manufacturers of play equipment as to how to provide for safe active play. Things have gotten a lot better since 1991. Advocates for children's play have…

The two riskiest things to do with children is open the door to the playground and open the door to buses and vans. Experience proves that when serious injuries occur, they will happen in one of these two places. While the great debate over the safety of buses versus vans has now been settled, the issue regarding occupant safety is on fire in most…

Each year, hundreds of young children die and thousands come close to death due to submersion in residential swimming pools. The United States Consumer Products Safety Commission studied data on drownings and child behavior, as well as information on pool and pool barrier construction, and concluded that the best way to reduce child drownings in…

There is a high rate of children's injuries on America's playgrounds. This report examines this issue and provides guidance on how to make playgrounds safer and more fun for children, and procedures for performing an initial analysis of the safety of a local playground using a playground safety checklist. Additionally, it provides a step-by-step…

Research findings have been used by states to formulate legislation to increase child passenger safety. Case studies from Kansas and Illinois are presented. The process is most successful when researchers are sensitive to the policy making process. The implications for the use of psychological research findings are discussed. (VM)

The article presents suggestions for home safety checks, recommending that parents look for harmful agents and safety hazards, and suggesting that they teach their children safety awareness. Safety tips are also offered for visits outside the home. (SM)

Presents a historical overview of injury control and prevention in the United States and offers a summary of current knowledge about the importance of different causes of childhood injury, looking at risk and protective factors that have a bearing on preventive efforts. Injury remains the most important cause of death and disability for children…

This study was designed to examine the issue of the safety of children's formal play environments. Safety was defined in terms of morbidity and mortality data. Protection and safety education were considered the prime factors in accident prevention while the goal of a safety program was considered to be the minimizing of injuries. Several data…