Columbus, OH - Today, Nationwide released survey* findings on the state of child safety in and around the home in conjunction with the company’s Make Safe Happen program, which is dedicated to reducing accidental injuries. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the leading cause of death among children in the U.S. is accidental injuries, and nearly nine million children are treated at emergency rooms across the country, with more than 9,000 children dying each year due to accidental injuries.

The CDC finds that nearly half of all accidents happen at home. Yet, the survey revealed that most parents (93 percent) feel that their home is the safest place for their child, and that 6 in 10 parents (61 percent) are not concerned about their child/children getting injured inside the home.

“Accidental childhood injuries are a serious issue that isn’t talked about enough,” said Mike Boyd, Nationwide’s senior vice president of marketing. “Our research tells us that nearly 7 in 10 parents (69 percent) agree that they think they could do more to keep their children safe in the home. At Nationwide – in collaboration with our partners like Safe Kids Worldwide, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the American Red Cross – we are committed to helping parents do just that, by sharing easily accessible tips and tools to help prevent accidental injuries.”

As the presenting sponsor of Safe Kids Day led by Safe Kids Worldwide on April 24 and throughout the year, Make Safe Happen is raising awareness and empowering caregivers to take action on four critical at-home safety areas – furniture and TV tip-over prevention, poisoning prevention, water safety and fire safety – as seen in Nationwide’s new awareness video. Harris Poll conducted the online survey among more than 1,000 U.S. parents with children under age 13 on behalf of Nationwide’s Make Safe Happen program. The survey measured awareness, concern and action to keep kids safe at home around these four injury areas. The survey also finds:

• Nearly 9 in 10 parents (88 percent) agree that Americans need to do a better job of keeping children safe in their home.
• When it comes to child safety, new and different risks exist for today’s parents, such as laundry packets that can be mistaken for candy, but according to the survey, 3 in 5 parents (63 percent) rely on what their own parents taught them.
• In 2015, the American Association of Poison Control Centers found that 34 children were harmed by laundry packets each day, yet Make Safe Happen research revealed that half of parents (52 percent) do not safely store laundry packets from children’s reach.
• The CDC finds that two children die each day as a result of poisoning, but according to the Make Safe Happen survey, many parents (43 percent) have kept cleaning solutions or chemicals in low, unlocked cabinets.
• More than 1 in 3 parents (36 percent) have bought a safety product such as a cabinet lock but didn’t install or use it.
• The Make Safe Happen survey found that many parents (43 percent) do not always or ever secure appliances, furniture or TVs to the wall, yet one child dies every two weeks, and about three are injured per hour due to a TV, furniture or appliance tip-over according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
• Many parents admit to leaving their child alone (20 percent) or, at times, being distracted while their child is in the pool or bathtub (42 percent), yet two children drown each day (CDC) and babies can drown in as little as one inch of water according to Safe Kids Worldwide.
• Only half of parents (55 percent) say that their child knows what to do in the event of a house fire despite fire claiming a child’s life nearly every day according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

“We’re working collaboratively with our partners at Nationwide to get the latest tips and tools directly into the hands of parents and caregivers so they can better protect their children at home,” said Dr. Lara McKenzie, principal investigator in the Center for Injury Research & Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and Make Safe Happen Advisory Council member. “We’re using the power of mobile technology – something as simple as our Make Safe Happen smartphone app – to inform and equip families to take immediate action in each room of their homes.”

Parents can find vital tips and tools, as well as room-by-room and age-specific checklists, by visiting the Make Safe Happen website and downloading the app. Content has been designed by leading researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital. 

Methodology

This survey was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of Nationwide Insurance from November 4, 2015 to November 13, 2015. Respondents comprised 1,001 parents or guardians of children ages 0 to 12 years old. Results are weighted to the U.S. General Population of adults with children ages 0-12 by age by gender, race/ethnicity, education, region, employment status, household income, marital status, and number of children in household. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About Make Safe Happen®

Make Safe Happen is a program dedicated to reducing accidental injury – the leading cause of death among children. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly nine million children are treated at emergency rooms across the country and more than 9,000 children die each year due to accidental injuries. Protecting child safety and wellbeing for more than 60 years, Nationwide launched Make Safe Happen in 2015 to empower parents, caregivers and children with tools and resources to make homes safer. Together with its Advisory Council, including Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Safe Kids Worldwide, Make Safe Happen is committed to inspiring one million safety actions by the end of 2016 with the hope of reducing childhood accidental injury and death. To learn more and take action, visit www.makesafehappen.com.