The Four Most Dangerous Summer Activities

Summer in Michigan is filled with fun, sun, water, and great outdoor activities. We’re out on boats, traveling to vacation destinations, and riding around on bikes, skateboards, scooters, and motorcycles. There’s a lot going on! And unfortunately, all of that activity leads to injury and trips to an urgent care or hospital emergency room. Here are the most dangerous summer activities that cause the most injuries every year along with what you can stay safe and enjoy summer!

Boating and water accidents

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children under the age of five.   Every year, toddlers, small children and non-swimming children/adults die needlessly in drowning accidents. A small child in a crowded and noisy pool can quickly get into trouble and drown without vigilant supervision. The most important thing you can do is make sure at least one person has eyes on small children at all times, even in a shallow pool. Infants, small children, and non-swimmers should always wear a life jacket. When it comes to boating, everyone onboard should wear an approved life jacket at all times. Our Michigan lakes are deceptively deep and can be treacherous.

Skateboards, cycles, scooter accidents

“Simply put, when riding on anything with wheels, everyone from small children to senior citizens should wear a helmet at all times,” said IEP Urgent Care medical director, Dr. Nick Dyc. “Adults need to be role models by always wearing a safety helmet, especially in front of their teen children. At some point, not wearing a helmet becomes the norm for some teens, and that is definitely not good.”  According to the CDC, emergency department/urgent care visits for pedal accidents increased by 8% from 2019-2020. Wearing a helmet significantly reduces the chance of injury! For more information about the importance of wearing a helmet, read this excellent post from the Cleveland Clinic.

Car accidents

Unfortunately, the days between Memorial Day and Labor Day have earned the title as the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer. That’s because there are a lot of new teen drivers on the road, we are all doing more traveling, distracted driving is always a contributing factor, and more people tend to drive under the influence. This all leads to more vehicle death and injuries than at any other time of the year. Here’s what you should do to stay safe:

• No texting or distracted driving – the driver should stay focused on the road and have his or her “head on a swivel” to be aware of the traffic conditions.

  
  

• Wear a seatbelt – everyone in the car must wear a seatbelt or age-appropriate restraint at all times

  
  

• No drowsy driving – vacation driving trips can be long. At the first sign of drowsiness, pull over and either rest or let someone else drive. Fighting through a bought of drowsiness is not a good plan of action!

  
  

• No substance use – it goes without saying that the driver should not ever consumer alcohol, cannabis, or any other mind-altering substance when behind the wheel.

  
  

• Drive at a safe speed – driving the speed limit is so much safer and energy efficient. Even driving just 5 mph over the speed limit is dangerous. Stay in the middle or right lane so that “Mr. Truck”, who needs to drive 90 mph, can get by you. Relax and don’t be offending by someone else’s bad driving. Road rage can also lead to deadly consequences.

Trampolines and Bounce Houses

Jumping on a trampoline or bounce house in the summer sun seems like such an idyllic summer kid fun activity. Unfortunately, there are about 100,000 reported trampoline accidents every year, and most of these injuries occur in residential backyards. Our best advice is the skip the trampoline. The next best advice is to keep your children off of them at the neighbor’s home, unless they are being supervised by an adult and adhering to proper trampoline safety standards. And while they seem less dangerous and more benign, bounce houses can be just as dangerous as a trampoline. Here is a great resource with tips for safer trampoline use from Ortho Info.