News on CPS & Drunk Driving state laws (we see you Illinois, Nebraska and Utah), who thinks driving is scary, a new concussion test, and more
*10% off this Safety Flashing Reflector Light (on 250+ of this item) |
Happy New Year!
One of our I'm Safe Resolutions for 2019 is to keep bringing you quality newsletters that are interesting AND useful. While we try to touch on a vast range of safety subjects, please let us know if there is a topic you wish we spent more time on.
This month's news includes articles on several new or updated state CPS and Drunk Driving laws, the World Health Organization's (WHO) 2018 report on road safety, fire and burn safety, the EyeBox for concussions, and more.
We are also excited to announce a new promotion with the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. For more information, please join their mailing list by clicking here.
We are here for you as you work to make your communities safer than ever in 2019.
-Jamie and the I'm Safe Team |
Below is a preview of this month's newsletter; to see news with live links, click here.
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NEWS
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Illinois just passed a new law... requiring children to be in rear-facing car seats until age 2 unless they weigh 40 or more pounds or are more than 40 inches tall. The law went into effect January 1st. They aren’t alone: Nebraska just made some small, but significant changes to their child restraint law as well.
Call or email us to talk about our state-specific products. Is there a new law in your area that you want people to know about?
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Even as New York City celebrates its VisionZero successes, the WHO has released its 2018 report on road safety and it is pretty dismal. 1.35 million traffic deaths were recorded in 2016, the majority of which may have been avoided if precautions that are known to work had been put in place. That goes along with the NSC statement on CDC data released late in November that accidental deaths rose 5.3% to hit the highest in US history.
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NHTSA has several impaired and distracted driving campaigns coming up over the next few months for the Super Bowl, St. Patrick's Day, and for a week during Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April.
Need your own customized Impaired or Distracted Driving materials? Call Jamie at 1-877-669-7233, ext 206 to place an order or request an estimate.
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If you are afraid of teenagers driving, you aren't the only one. A new study by Zebra Research shows that 1 in 4 unlicensed teens are too afraid to drive and 40% of teens think driving is scary. Given the statistics of teen crashes, they have good reason to believe it. But it's possible to make it less frightening with plenty of guided practice under varied driving circumstances such as in rain, fog, snow and traffic.
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Maternal voice alarms are about 3x more likely to wake a sleeping child than a typical, tone alarm, this study showed. That meant 85% who woke up to a voice alarm had enough time to escape, as compared to only 51% of those children who were awakened with the usual loud noise of a smoke alarm.
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Burn Awareness Week, which focuses on cooking safety and scald burns, is coming up February 3-9, 2019. Do the people in your community know what to do in the event of a cooking fire? It may not be what they think. Keep oven mitts and a pan lid nearby at all times while cooking - in the event of a grease or oil fire, cover the fire with the lid and turn the heat off to help the fire go out before it spreads.
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As we approach Brain Injury Awareness Month in March, recent news tells that the FDA has approved The EyeBox for marketing. It is a diagnostic tool that doesn’t rely on a baseline measurement for accuracy, and it can’t be fooled by athletes (or their coaches) who want to get back into a game. Brain injuries don’t just happen during major traumatic events; they can happen on a playground, on a sports field, or even in your own home.
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Will Utah’s new drunk driving law help reduce drunk driving? Utah led the way with the BAC of .08 years ago and it looks like they may do it again with a lowered BAC of .05. Already, other states are considering dropping the legal Blood Alcohol Limit for driving.
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February is Children’s Dental Health Month. Much of good dental health is about prevention - brushing and flossing regularly and visiting the dentist for cleanings and checkups. But for years fluoride has been added to public water supplies, keeping our teeth a little bit safer. Why is it there and why would anyone want to change that practice? What happens when we don't have that fluoride?
You can easily print out our Tooth Fairy and Tooth Elf puppet patterns for a little edutainment.
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The CDC is funding four awards totaling up to $1.4 million during FY2019. Their purpose is to study the effects and risks of driving while impaired by alcohol plus one or more other drugs. Several important dates are coming up this month. Click here for more information or visit www.grants.gov and search for RFA-CE-19-004 for more information.
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Upcoming Family Health & Safety Days & Specials*
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*Specials expire the last day of each month.
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1 New Year’s Day
19-27 Snowmobile Safety Week
21 Martin Luther King, Jr Day
Coming Up...
February 2019
Children's Dental Health Month
3 Super Bowl - NHTSA Fans Don't Let Fans Drive Drunk Campaign
3-9 Burn Awareness Week
18 Presidents' Day
March 2019
Brain Injury Awareness Month
National Nutrition Month
Red Cross Month
10 Daylight Savings Begins (Check Smoke Detectors)
17 St. Patrick's Day - NHTSA Buzzed Driving Campaign
17-23 Inhalants Awareness & Poison Prevention Weeks
20 Spring Begins
3/31-4/2 Lifesavers Conference
April 2019
Alcohol Awareness Month
Distracted Driving Awareness Month
Prevent Cruelty to Animals Month
Youth Sports Safety Month
1-7 Public Health Week
7 World Health Day
7-13 Window Safety Week
8-12 Week of the Young Child
8-15 NHTSA National Enforcement: UDrive. UText. UPay. Campaign
14-20 National Dog Bite Prevention Week
22-26 Playground Safety Week
27 YMCA Healthy Kids Day
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