The long Fourth of July weekend is over, but summer fun for the area’s children still has a long way to go.
Extended forecasts call for temperatures to remain in the 80s for at least the next two weeks and the usual summer activities for children are in full swing including biking, playgrounds, the community swimming pools and DelGrosso’s Amusement Park.
Two agencies, PennDOT and Safe Kids Blair County want to remind both children and adults about the importance of being safe this summer season.
PennDOT’s District Nine issued a press release last month to highlight the concerns about motorists and bicyclists sharing the roads. The transportation agency is urging motorists to be aware of bikers and to share the roads this summer.
PennDOT noted each year in Pennsylvania, there are numerous fatalities and injuries as a result of bicycle crashes. Children ages 14 and under are the most vulnerable and account for more than one third of all bicycle-related deaths and injuries.
“It is important for bicyclists and motorists to have a mutual respect for each other,” said District Nine Executive Thomas A. Pretash. “Motorists must learn to share the road and drive in a way that ensures not only the safety for bicyclists but for other motorists.”
Another area organization, Safe Kids Blair County, is promoting summer safety for young people.
“Summer is trauma season,” said Sherry Turchetta, Safe Kids Blair County coordinator. “That’s when kids are most likely to be riding a bike, swimming, crossing streets and spending time at the playground.”
Turchetta is a community education specialist with the Altoona Regional Health System. Altoona Regional is the lead agency for Safe Kids Blair County.
A release from the Altoona Regional Health System said every summer, approximately 2.7 million children in the United States ages 14 and under are treated in emergency rooms for unintentional injuries, and more than 2,000 die.
The press release noted more children are accidentally injured during the summer than any other time of the year, with about 42 percent of fatal injuries coming between May 1 and Aug. 31.
Last year, between the beginning of May and the end of August, more than 1,750 children, 14 and under, visited an Altoona Regional Health System emergency room.
Safe Kids Blair County said it is encourages age-appropriate outdoor activity, but also urges appropriate precautions and active supervision.
“Simply being near your child is not necessarily supervising,” said Turchetta. “A supervised child is in sight and in reach at all times, with your undivided attention focused on the child.”
For additional tips about summer hazards involving swimming, bicycling, playgrounds, traffic and other activities call 814-889-7802 or visit www.usa.safekids.org.
Safe Kids Blair County is part of the National Safe Kids Campaign, the first and only national nonprofit organization dedicated solely to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury, the number one killer of children ages 14 and under.
The press release from the Altoona Regional Health System noted more than 300 state and local Safe Kids coalitions in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico make up the campaign.
