August e-news
Welcome to the August edition of Kidsafe’s e-news. This month you will find some tips on how to keep children safe around driveways, as well as the results of last year’s No Helmet No Ride Competition and the most recent product recalls. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with Kidsafe. Happy reading and stay safe!
Driveway Danger
On average, 7 Australian children are killed in a driveway run-over incident every year, with a further 60 being seriously injured. Incidents usually occur in the child’s home driveway with the driver commonly being a parent, relative, or family friend. In most cases the driver doesn’t know that the child is near the vehicle – they think they are being looked after elsewhere.
Children can be surprisingly quick and the large blind spot behind all vehicles means that it can be difficult to see children when reversing.
The good news is that there are some simple steps that you can take to make your driveway Kidsafe:
SUERVISE
- Always supervise children around driveways. If you need to move a vehicle, make sure the child is safely in the car or have another adult hold their hand while it is being moved.
SEPERATE
- Treat your driveway like a road and ensure that children’s play areas are separated from driveways and garages.
SEE
- Get in the habit of walking around your vehicle before getting in, to ensure there are no children in the area.
- Remember that while reversing sensors and cameras are extremely helpful, they should not be relied upon on their own to keep children safe.
For more information on keeping children safe around driveways please visit http://www.kidsafevic.com.au/road-safety/driveway-safety.
No Helmet No Ride!
“Now this is not a laughing matter, you’ve got to protect you’re grey matter”. This time last year we asked primary school students across Victoria to produce a video, radio ad, or an illustrated story with the theme ‘no helmet, no ride’.
As part of the competition we received some great skits, raps, radio announcements and stories. The standout of the competition was the winning rap from Seaford Park Primary (link below). The whole class got involved to produce a funny (and informative) rap about the importance of wearing a helmet.
Helmets are important in protecting riders of wheeled devices from serious head injuries. Getting your kids involved in choosing their helmet can be great way of encouraging them to wear it. You can also set a good example by always wearing a helmet when on any wheeled devices.
To view Seaford primary’s rap, as well as some other winning entries, please visit http://www.kidsafevic.com.au/road-safety/no-helmet-no-ride-competition.
And remember… No helmet, no ride!
Transporting Children With Additional Needs
Appropriate use of a child restraint significantly reduces the risk of injury to a child in the event of a car crash. However, for some parents and carers of children with a disability, it can be challenging to obtain a restraint that meets their child’s special needs.
The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Safety Centre, together with the Transportation of Children and Youth with Additional Needs (TOCAN) partnership, has created a website resource to help these parents ensure their child is legally and safely restrained and to assist health practitioners assess children and prescribe modified or specialised restraints.
The website also includes information on funding options for parents and contact details for suppliers of modifiable or specialised child restraints that meet the relevant Australian Standards.
To view the new website resource please visit http://www.rch.org.au/tocan/.
Product Recalls
Ozsale – Joules Junior Nightwear
The garment may present a fire hazard. The failure to include the fire hazard information label may result in consumers being unaware of the fire danger rating for these garments.
JOULES-R-JNRLUNA-Crmpmix
JOULES-R-JNRRAIDEN-Bludino
JOULES-R-JNRCHANTRY-Navychk
JOULES-R-JNRCONNOR-Alpine
If you have purchased one of these garments please stop using them and return to Ozsale for a refund.
Snugglebum Nightie
Testing has shown that the garments fail to meet the mandatory standard for children’s nightwear burning behaviour requirements. If you have purchased this item, please stop using it and return to Snugglebum for a refund.
Commonwealth Bank – Cosmic Light Beam Torch
The button batteries in the torch may be easily accessible by children. If your child has received the torch through their school banking program you should safely dispose of it immediately. Queries may be directed to the School Banking Co-ordinator or the School Banking Helpdesk on 1800 674 496, Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm (AEST).
