May Child Safety Accident Alert... Children's Day Accidents in the Last 3 Years, 1.4 Times Higher Than Average

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The National Fire Agency has urged special caution regarding children's safety accidents* as outdoor activities for children are expected to increase in May, the month of family.

According to the National Fire Agency on the 3rd, about 117,000 children's safety accidents have occurred over the past three years. This means that an average of about 107 accidents, large and small, occurred daily, and especially on Children's Day, about 1.4 times more accidents than average occurred, with 148 safety accidents.

When comparing by month, the largest increase was from April to May, with the highest number in June. From May, the number of family events including Children's Day increases, and the climate conditions are favorable for outdoor activities, which is believed to have caused the increase in incidents.

Last year, there were 31,584 children's safety accidents, the lowest in the past three years, and accidents occurring outside the home significantly decreased. This is interpreted as due to the reduction in outdoor activities caused by the spread of COVID-19 and the partial shift to remote schooling, which decreased the frequency of going out from home.

Among the children's safety accidents that occurred last year, 8,290 cases (26.2%) were traffic accidents. Among traffic accident types, cases where children were passengers in vehicles were the most common with 3,071 cases (37% of traffic accidents), followed by bicycle accidents (2,861 cases, 34.5%) and pedestrian accidents (1,533 cases, 18.5%). Cases of children suffering burns were 1,494 (4.7% of all safety accidents), with burns caused by hot water being the most frequent at 1,161 cases (77.7% of burns).

Another major accident case is airway obstruction caused by foreign objects. Last year, 602 cases (1.9% of all safety accidents) occurred. Although rare compared to other accidents, airway obstruction can block oxygen supply and cause brain damage within minutes. In addition, preventable safety accidents such as falls (9,477 cases, 30%) and lacerations (3,874 cases, 12.3%) account for a very high proportion of all children's safety accidents.

Baek Deok-gon, Director of the 119 Rescue and Emergency Medical Service Bureau, said, “Children lack the judgment and agility to recognize and respond to dangerous situations, so careful attention is necessary,” and urged, “As children spend more time at home during the COVID-19 era, guardians should pay more attention to preventing children's safety accidents.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.