Accident and Safety Information for Teens, 2nd Ed.

According to statistics compiled by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, accidents are the leading cause of death among children and youth between the ages of 8 and 20. In fact, the leading cause of deaths among children and teens is unintentional injuries or accidental injuries. In addition to the death toll, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that in 2016, young people between the ages of 15 and 19 represented 6.5% of the U.S. population. However, they accounted for an estimated $13.6 billion (8.4%) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries.

Accident and Safety Information for Teens, Second Edition provides adolescent readers with facts about what to do when accidents happen: when to call 911, what first aid steps can be taken, what to expect in the emergency department or hospital, and how to cope with the after effects of a traumatic experience. It describes serious injuries and medical emergencies, including major bleeding, burns, spinal cord injuries, brain injury, drug overdose, and alcohol poisoning. The book also provides information about motor vehicle safety, safety at home, school, and work, and outdoor and recreation-related safety. A separate section discusses emergency and disaster preparedness, including how to make a disaster plan, how to prepare for natural disasters, and what steps to take to prepare for national security emergencies. The book concludes with directories of resources for additional help and information.

The book is divided into parts and chapters where parts focus on broad areas of interest and chapters are devoted to single topics within a part.

Part One: Unintentional Injury and Violence: An Overview explains about teen injury and death and its determinants along with relevant statistics. It also discusses about youth violence, first aid basics, and coping with trauma. The part additionally explains how the brain responds to emergencies, 911 resources, and statistics related to injury-related hospital visits.

Part Two: Medical Emergencies and Traumatic Injuries describes the dangers, symptoms, and appropriate first aid steps for some of the most commonly encountered situations that may call for immediate medical assistance. These include animal bites, insect stings, bleeding, different types of burns, various kinds of fractures, head injuries, and choking. It also explains how to recognize and respond to the symptoms of alcohol poisoning, inhalant abuse, and drug overdose.

Part Three: Motor Vehicle Safety discusses car accidents—the leading cause of death for U.S. teens—and traffic safety. It describes the development of safe driving skills, the proper use of safety belts and air bags, appropriate care for tires and headlights, and the special challenges related to driving during inclement weather. Problems associated with drowsy, drunk, drugged, inattentive, and aggressive driving are also discussed, and the part concludes with chapters that address the special concerns of motorcyclists and pedestrians.

Part Four: Safety at Home, School, and Work helps readers become aware of risks they may face in everyday settings. It describes steps teens can take to protect themselves as they encounter new or different social situations, assume more responsibilities, and move into the workforce.

Part Five: Outdoor and Recreation Safety includes sports injury prevention tips and offers suggestions for avoiding hazards associated with bicycling, swimming, boating, driving all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiling, skating, skateboarding, skiing, and snowboarding. It also describes taking appropriate precautions and finding shelter if a thunderstorm develops.

Part Six: Emergency and Disaster Preparedness describes the process of planning ahead for natural disasters and national security emergencies. It offers checklists of emergency supplies and discusses what to expect in the event of a tornado, hurricane, flood, winter storm, earthquake, volcano, wildfire, or other incident associated with the untamed aspect of nature. It also explains steps that can be taken to be ready to respond to man-made disasters, such as chemical accidents and acts of terrorism.

Part Seven: If You Need More Information includes directories of resources for additional facts about first aid, medical emergencies, and disaster preparedness.