99TravelSafe.com
81 – Safety of Children Playing in the Snow!
The Website For The Smart and Savvy Traveler
Children should PLAY in the snow but should NOT do the following;
Do NOT build snow forts or make tunnels. They may collapse and suffocate a child.
Do NOT slide, climb, or walk on snowbanks close to the road!
Do NOT play in or on snowbanks! The driver of a snowplow or other vehicle may NOT see a child!
Do NOT push or shove your friends onto the road!
Do NOT walk up behind a snowplow, or climb one, even when it is parked!
Do NOT throw snowballs at snowplows or other vehicles!
If a snowplow is coming and you have to get OUT of the way!
Do NOT panic - find a driveway or someplae safe to move out of the way!
Snowballs;
Children should NOT throw snowballs. Snowball fights can lead to injuries, especially to the eyes!
Snowballs are MORE dangerous if the snow is hard-packed or contains a rock or some other hard object!
Throwing snowballs at motor vehicles is AGAINST the law!
Do NOT EAT snow, it might contain traces of mercury as well as fecal matter carried from the soil
Snowmobiles;
Children and adults should wear an approved HELMET at all times while using snowmobiles. Head injuries are the leading cause of snowmobile related deaths.
Children YOUNGER than 6 years of age should NEVER RIDE on a snowmobile, EVEN with an adult!
Children YOUNGER than 16 years of age should NOT OPERATE a snowmobile!
Anyone operating a snowmobile should take a formal safety training program!
Never TOW a child behind a snowmobile on a tube, tire, sled or saucer!
Adults must NOT consume alcohol while using snowmobiles!
The SPEED of the snowmobile should always be MANAGEABLE!
AVOID traveling across bodies of water when uncertain of ice thickness or water currents. Rapidly changing weather and moving water in streams and lake inlets also affect the thickness and strength of ice on lakes and ponds. Snow cover can act as a blanket and prevents thick strong ice from forming.
Stay on MARKED trails or, where allowed, on the right shoulder of the road!
Be on the ALERT for fences, tree stumps and stretched wire that may be concealed by snow!
NEVER travel in a snowmobile ALONE. Most snowmobile accidents result in personal injury! The most dangerous situations occur when a person is injured and alone. If you must travel alone, tell someone your destination, planned route, and when you plan to return!
Watch for signs of HYPOTHERMIA - Signs include shivering, lethargy, and clumsiness!
Children should know to GO INDOORS when they start to feel uncomfortable from the cold!