Keeping Kids Safe from Common Dangers

This come from another Scout-L mailing list post sent on 9/21/2010.

There was an interesting article in NY Times called "Keeping Kids Safe from Common Dangers." It contains this very interesting paragraph:

"And while we certainly make constant (mis)calculations in our adult lives, we seem all the more determined yet befuddled when it comes to the safety of our children. For instance, the five things most likely to cause injury to children up to age 18, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are: car accidents, homicide (usually at the hands of someone they know), child abuse, suicide or drowning. And what are the five things that parents are most worried about (according to surveys by the Mayo Clinic)? Kidnapping, school snipers, terrorists, dangerous strangers and drugs.

“Parents are just bad at risk assessment,” said Christie Barnes, a mother of four and the author of “The Paranoid Parents Guide.” “We are constantly overestimating rare dangers while underestimating common ones.”"

I thought you all may like hearing about it. Feel free to post your thoughts and comments below.