public policy

Did you know that the "zip" in "zipcode" means “zoning improvement plan” or that every day 200 billion M & Ms are sold in the United States?

The good thing is that we don't need to know those things.

We are now in the thick of the fall sports and recreation season. Last year, 46 million kids played some form of team sports. As we keep a keen eye on the games, we also know we need to keep an eye on keeping our kids safe.

While working at Safe Kids, regardless of whether we have children or not, we develop a parents’ radar for ways kids are vulnerable to injury. I am no different. Earlier this summer, I visited my family in Santa Cruz, California, and spent a lot of time watching my then 8-year-old nephew, Logan, play baseball with his team, the Mets.

Pop quiz. Who do you think are the best advocates for child safety issues?   a) Pediatricians; b) Elected Officials; c) Teachers; d) Parents?  The answer is: e - none of the above.

That’s right. While many of these groups work hard for children, peer-for-peer advocacy, or kids lobbying on behalf of kids, can actually have the biggest impact of all.

Albert Einstein once said that “doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results” is not consistent with good mental health.  But here we are eight days before the fiscal cliff kicks in, just as we sat on the cliff on New Year’s Day.

A car crash happens so quickly, but the pain can last forever, especially when it’s the pain of losing a child. Last April, 5-year-old Jason Santamaria went for a drive with his Aunt Florencia. Based on Jason’s size and weight, the safest place for him to ride was in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat of the car.

Thursday was Safe Kids Day on Capitol Hill. We held a bipartisan event on September 20 to educate Senators, Members of Congress and their staff about the risks that kids face and the challenges parents have in preventing unintentional injury, the #1 killer of kids in America.

Co-authored by Kate Carr, former President and CEO, Safe Kids Worldwide.