Each week, we all go to the supermarket to restock our fridge. Whether it’s Walmart, Safeway, Costco, or another regional grocer, the weekly routine rarely varies.
If you have children that accompany you on these shopping trips, did you know that there is a prevalent safety hazard that injures more than 66 children per day in the U.S.?
A recent study from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital reports that U.S. emergency departments treat 66 children per day for shopping cart-related injuries.
To many in the supermarket industry, this may come as a surprise, as a voluntary shopping cart safety standard was implemented in the U.S. in 2004. The number of child injuries in the past decade, however, has not decreased.
The study shows that most injuries from shopping carts occur as falls from the cart (accounting for 70 percent of the emergency room visits, in fact). The most commonly injured body part is the head.
The most important question arising from this study is, “How do we make shopping carts safer for children?” It isn’t reasonable to expect parents to hire a babysitter each time they need to go to the store; children will always be present near shopping carts. Some suggest design changes to carts, with improved restraint systems and a seat closer to the ground (so any potential fall is not as far).
Nationwide Children’s does have some recommendations you can take to keep your child safe around shopping carts.
- Always use the shopping cart safety straps, making sure your child is snugly secured in the starts and that your child’s legs are placed through the openings. (Do not put your child in the main basket with the groceries/items, as pictured above.)
- If some carts have seating available closer to the ground, select one of these over a traditional cart.
- Stay with the cart at all times, and make sure your child remains seated.
- Avoid placing infant carriers on top of shopping carts.
If you have questions about shopping cart injuries in Colorado Springs or any child injuries in Colorado, contact an experienced personal injury attorney today.
Photo Credit: Flickr User Dave & Lorelle via Creative Commons
