CYP Now - Opinion: Why everyday dangers can be the worst

We are more aware than ever of the dangers children face. Or are we? The message from last month's Child Safety Week seems to be that, while we've become increasingly familiar with the extraordinary dangers children very occasionally encounter, we've overlooked more mundane, everyday ones.

Accidents that take place at or near home remain the biggest cause of child deaths over the age of one. While we repeatedly warn children about stranger danger and fret about the long-term effects of mobile phone use, we've forgotten to keep our own house in order.

And while we ask how we can better protect children from the perils of modern life, it seems we continue to overlook the very simple measures that can ensure children are safe at home, such as keeping poisons out of reach, ensuring that smoke alarms are in working order and fitting a thermostatic mixing valve to hot taps.

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