Published: April 27, 2008 11:26 pm            

Seatbelts, smoke detectors are health tools

At his regular physical examination, Warren was puzzled when his doctor started asking him about seat belts and smoke detectors.

“We can monitor your health and manage your medical conditions,” she told him. “But the best we can do to protect you against accidents is to remind you of basic safety precautions.”

Accidents claim more than 112,000 lives each year, and virtually every one could be prevented through understanding and following some basic safety measures.

• Wear Your Seat Belt: By far, your biggest risk of accidental death occurs when you climb into your automobile. More than a third of accidental deaths — greater than 40,000 each year — are associated with automobile crashes.

Serious injuries occur when a driver or passenger hits the steering wheel, dashboard or windshield. The number one danger, however, is being thrown from the vehicle. A safety belt properly worn keeps you inside the car and sometimes safe from harm.

• Don’t Drive When You’re Impaired: Nearly 40 percent of traffic fatalities occur in alcohol-related crashes. In Oklahoma, impaired driving is a crime which involves a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher.

You’re impaired not only when you’ve had too much to drink but if you’re talking on a cell phone, have low blood sugar or are at risk of passing out or having a seizure because of medical conditions or medications. You may be impaired even if you’re depressed, angry, sleepy or overly tired.

• Protect Yourself from Falls: Falls are the second leading cause of accidental death, with 14,900 occurring each year.

• Poison Proof Your Home: Although significant progress has been made, poisoning still is the third most frequent reason for accidental death, with 8,600 incidents reported yearly. Ingestion of shellfish and mushrooms are included in these figures along with exposure to household or garden chemicals and overdoses of over-the-counter and prescription medications.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) frequently is misused, with adults exceeding the recommended dose. The result can be severe liver disease, the need for liver transplantation or death.

Syrup of ipecac should be readily available, and parents should make use of a poison control center for rapid information rather than rushing a child to the emergency room. In many cases, the situation can be handled at home with the help of a poison control specialist.

• Use Smoke, Carbon Monoxide detectors: Fire deaths have declined by almost half since the late 1970s, primarily because of increased use of smoke detectors. More than 96 percent of households now report having a smoke detector. Even so, about 3,000 deaths each year can be attributed to household fires, and the majority of these are in homes with no working fire alarm.

Odorless and colorless, carbon monoxide can creep into your living quarters and kill you before you know it is present. Early signs of low exposure include headache, nausea, fatigue, dizziness and disorientation.

• Keep Guns Locked Away: Firearms are responsible for about a thousand accidental deaths each year. That figure is dwarfed by the number of firearm-related homicides (12,000) and suicides (17,000). If you have a gun, keep it locked in a secure place.

The National Safety Council estimates for a child born in 2004, the lifetime odds of dying from an accidental injury are 1 in 23. With just a little effort, you can improve your odds significantly.



Rupp is information and assistance case manager with the Northern Oklahoma Development Authority Area Agency on Aging.