June Is National Safety Month!
Injuries are a leading cause of disability for people of all ages – and they are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 44. The good news is everyone can get involved to help prevent injuries.
This June, we encourage you to learn more about important safety issues like prescription drug abuse, distracted driving, and slips, trips, and falls.
- Prescription drug abuse: Prescription painkiller overdoses are a growing problem in the United States, especially among women. About 18 women die every day from a prescription painkiller overdose – more than 4 times as many as back in 1999. For more information, visit: NHPeopleCare.org
- Slips, trips, and falls: One in 3 older adults falls each year. Many falls lead to broken bones and other health problems.
- Distracted driving: Doing other activities while driving – like texting or eating – increases your chance of crashing. Almost 1 in 5 crashes (18%) that injured someone involved distracted driving. In 2012 alone, 3,328 were killed in distracted driving crashes.
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You can make a difference:
- Properly dispose of any unused or expired medications. Find out how you can safely dispose of medications.
- Store medicines and vitamins up and away, out of reach and out of sight of young children.
- Turn your phone off while driving.
- Never stand on a chair, table or other surface on wheels.
- Remove tripping hazards (paper, boxes, toys, clothes, shoes) from stairs and walkways.
