KAYSVILLE -- While parents get kids ready for summer by registering for summer camp and swim lessons and planning family vacations, two Davis County organizations hope they have prepared kids to be safe.
Safe Kids Davis County and Davis Head Start's Families Involved Together combined resources Saturday at Barnes Park to help families prepare for the summer months, when more activities can lead to more injuries.
"Every year as spring temperatures begin to warm up, we know there's an increase in the amount of time that children spend outdoors playing sports," said Chris Bateman, the Safe Kids Davis County coordinator. "This means that the number of injuries to children can increase."
Forty booths were set up to inform the community about how to keep safe. One of the biggest problems in the community Bateman sees is lack of helmet use by cyclists and the brain-related injuries that can occur.
"There are a lot of kids riding bikes in Utah and not a lot of them wearing helmets," said Bateman. "It's something we can improve upon as kids and parents. I think it starts with parents wearing helmets and being good examples."
Three hundred free bike helmets were distributed to kids in the hope they would go home and encourage family members to wear helmets. For those who weren't able to receive a free helmet, the Davis County Health Department offers bike helmets at a reduced cost of $8 due to their Safe Kids Coalition Agreement with a helmet manufacturer.
Nearly 2,000 people attended the event. Kristin Putnam of Kaysville was shocked to learn that two of her children still needed to be in booster seats, and her oldest, age 9, shouldn't be sitting in the front seat yet.
Virgil Jones, a fire inspector at Hill Air Force Base, explained to Putnam how children should be at least 4 feet, 9 inches tall and 8 years old before giving up the booster seat. If the seat belt rides along their neck, as it easily can with children not yet tall enough to ride without a booster seat, the belt can injure the neck in an accident.
Putnam plans to change a few things in her car, including making sure her 9-year-old sits in the back seat until she gets older.
"I feel a little stupid," said Putnam. "I always thought with our pickups, the structure of the car would keep my kids safe in the front seat, but now I know the air bag can cause damage."
Jones also said families need to be aware of any loose toys, cell phones or purses sitting in the car. In an accident, they can become dangerous weapons.
"A 10-ounce toy tractor can become a four-pound flying object when you come into a crash relationship," said Jones.
Dave Berryman of Syracuse attended the fair with his two sons, at first thinking it would be just a fun activity to do with his kids, until he realized how important the fair could be for his sons' safety.
"It is good to have these reminders about safety," said Berryman, especially since the Davis County Search and Rescue team taught his sons what to do if they ever get lost.
"I learned that if you get lost, you need to hug a tree and blow a whistle," said 9-year-old Ethan Berryman. "It if does happen, now I know what to do and how to be safe."
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