There's more recreational time and more chance for injury,' says Dr. Charlene Sanders, a pediatric trauma specialist at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, California. Nearly as frequent are the injuries of children who are hit by cars while playing in or near the streets. People driving home from work are not looking for kids dashing out between cars after lost balls and Frisbees. And the National Safety Council, reports that more than half of all drownings nationwide happen during the summer months. In California, Arizona and Florida, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death among preschoolers.
Parents look away, answer telephones, or think others are keeping an eye on the kids.
Experts are quick to point out that it can take only two inches of water for a toddler to drown. Nationwide, about 50 drowning deaths and 130 emergency-room visits per year are due to toddlers falling into buckets of water. Ice chests pose the same danger. At this age a child's head is the heaviest part of their body. Experts agree that proper supervision is the key to a safe summer for children.