July Fun Heats Up Safety Risks
While July’s a hot month for summer fun, it is also peak season for accidental injuries. For starters, July kicks-off
with Independence Day and fireworks displays. While legal for individuals to use in some states, fireworks send thousands
of Americans to hospitals each year. In 2006, U.S. hospital emergency room treated about 9,200 fireworks-related injuries.
Also in July, vacation road trips compound regular traffic to mean more people driving than in any other month of
year – and more traffic fatalities. For the 2008 Independence Day holiday alone, a period that extends from midnight
this Thursday through midnight Sunday, the National Safety Council estimates there will be 449 unintentional traffic
fatalities and 24,200 nonfatal injuries. The Council also estimates that 382 lives may be saved during this period because
people were wearing safety belts, and that more than 100 lives could have been save if all wore safety belts.
Swimming and other summer recreational activities, plus weather extremes, further add up to make a perfect storm of
safety risks.
But there is good news. Summer can be a fun time for everyone, if you take steps to help prevent accidental injuries
that include knowing your risks, planning ahead and being prepared. The National Safety Council offers fact sheets to
help stress safety in July, or at any time throughout the year:
