BWG Consumer Alert: September 2011
Helping Students Travel to School SafelyThere is much to plan as students return to school each September. One of the most important is making sure your children have safe transportation to school.
There are many ways students travel: the school bus, parent car pools, walking and bicycling. All carry a risk for
injuries and
accidents - this can be greatly reduced when drivers and students follow the rules of safety. Here we offer tips for parents to keep their children safe:
Riding the School Bus: - If your school district provides seat belts on school buses, make sure your child wears one.
- Instruct your child to wait until the bus is completely stopped before trying to board or exit.
- Explain to children they should stand at least six feet back from the curb as the bus approaches.
- Tell children they should never cross the street behind a bus.
- Wait at the bus stop with young children.
Walking to School: - If possible, walk to school with your child. Arrange a neighborhood school walk and have parents take turns supervising.
- If your child is walking alone, explain that he must cross the street in the crosswalk under the supervision of a school crossing guard.
- Have your child wear bright colored clothing.
Carpooling to School:- All children should wear seat belts. In Massachusetts, children ages five to seven or up to 4'9" tall are required to travel in a child safety seat.
- Children under the age of 13 should ride in the back seat.
- Explain to children they should talk softly and let the driver concentrate on the road.
Bicycling to School: - In Massachusetts, children and teens age 16 and under are required to wear bike helmets.
- Do not allow young children to bicycle to school.
- Make sure your child has the appropriate experience on a bicycle and is familiar with traveling the route to school.
- Teach children to ride in the same direction as traffic on the right side of the road.
- Children bicycling should wear bright colored clothing.
FDA Convenes Panel on Safety of Surgical MeshOn Sept. 8 and 9, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel reviewed the effectiveness of urogynecologic mesh products used in
transvaginal mesh surgery.
The FDA convened its Obstetrics-Gynecology Devices Panel of the Medical Device Advisory Committee to discuss the safety of transvaginal surgical mesh for Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) and Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI).
The FDA has made no announcement yet following the panel.
On July 13, the FDA issued an update on a 2008 public health notification. The update reported complications from surgical mesh used in transvaginal mesh surgery are not rare. It also reported it was not clear that transvaginal mesh surgery is more effective than non-mesh repair of POP.
Click here tor read more about the complications from transvaginal mesh surgery.
Child Passenger Safety Week Starts Sept. 18The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) will host Child Passenger Safety Week from Sept. 18 to Sept. 24, a time for parents to check travel accommodations for their children.
The NHTSA estimates three out of four parents are not properly restraining their children in the car. But car and booster seats provide your child the greatest amount of protection and are especially important in light of the fact that
motor vehicle crashes are responsible for the majority of
deaths among children ages four to eight. Child safety seats reduce
injury rates by 58 percent.
Massachusetts law mandates use of child safety seats. The law requires parents to restrain children five to seven years of age or up to 4' 9" tall.
Click here for more information about child passenger safety seats.Click here to find out where you can obtain a free child passenger safety seat check.