Seat Belt and Booster Seats Essay

Seat Belt and Booster Seats Essay Seat Belt and Booster Seats Essay Primary Care Approaches Patricia L. Jackson Allen, MS, RN, PNP, FAAN Booster Seat Usage for Children 4 to 8 Years of Age Debbie Gearner Thompson, Brian Robertson C hild restraint devices have significantly decreased child injury and death rates as the result of motor vehicle crashes. Despite these devices, motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death in children 4 years of age and older (Committee on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention, American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP], 2011). All 50 states and the District of Columbia have child safety seat laws, but they vary from state to state regarding children’s ages and types of restraint (Governor’s Highway Safety Association [GHSA], 2012). Only Arizona, Florida, and South Dakota do not require booster seats or other devices for children who have outgrown their child safety seats but are still too small to safely use an adult seat belt. Ages vary by state regarding when booster seats must be used. Although laws exist, the use of booster seats for young school-aged children has been consistently lower than national goals (Macy et al., 2012). Many parents are unaware of state laws regarding booster seat use (Macy et al., 2012) and believe that children over 4 years of age can be transitioned from traditional child car seats to using only a seat belt. Lack of awareness that booster seats are designed to reduce the risk of injury and death in the event of a collision by repositioning the child’s body so that the seat belt properly secures the child is also an issue for many parents (see Figure 1) (Arbogast, Jermakian, Kallan, & Durbin, 2009; Bruce et al., 2009; Durbin, Elliott, & Winston, 2003; Elliott, Kallan, Durbin, & Winston, 2006). Elliott and colleagues (2006) evaluated the effectiveness of child safety seats vs. seat belts and found that children 2 to 6 years of age had a reduction in nonfatal injuries and a 28% reduction in risk of death using booster seats when compared to wearing only seat belts. The authors stress that the child restraint system is designed to reduce the risk of ejection and distribute the force of the crash through structurally stronger bones rather than soft tissues. By limiting crash forces and potentially limiting the contact of the occupant with the vehicle, a child restraint system provides a mechanical protection advantage over seat belts. When children are transitioned to adult seat belts too early, the lap portion of the belt rides up over their abdomen, with the shoulder portion crossing the neck or face. The child may also sit too far forward in order for their knees to bend at the edge of the seat. Because of the inappropriate positioning of the seat belt, the 4- to 8-year-old child using the shoulder-lap belt only is three times more likely to sustain abdominal injuries than the child restrained in a booster seat (Partners for Child Passenger Safety, 2004). During the rapid deceleration of a motor vehicle accident, a jack-knifed body position compresses the abdominal organs and the spinal column against the seat belt (Committee on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention, AAP, 2011). This phenomenon, called â€Å"Seat Belt Syndrome,† has been identified in cases involving serious cervical and lumbar spinal cord injury and intraabdominal injuries related to poorly fitting seat belts. These Figure 1. Proper Seat Belt Placement When Utilizing Booster Seat Lap belt rests on tops of thighs Shoulder belt crosses center of chest bone and rests between shoulder and neck Debbie Gearner Thompson, MS, RN, CNS, PNP-BC, is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Children’s Medical Center Legacy, and Certified Car Seat Technician, National Child Passenger Safety Program, Plano, TX. Brian Robertson, PhD, MPH, is a Research Scientist, Injury Prevention Department, Children’s Medical Center Dallas, and Certified Car Seat Technician, National Child Passenger Safety Program, Dallax, TX. Child’s knees bend comfortably without touching Note: Used with

How to Apologize and Say Im Sorry In German

How to Apologize and Say I'm Sorry In German You are likely to make either cultural mistakes or miscommunicate your intentions as a student of the German language, especially if you are traveling through German-speaking countries. Therefore, on your long list of vocabulary essentials to master when studying the language, be sure to include German expressions of forgiveness and excusing yourself. When deciding what expression to use after youve made a mistake or misstated something, err on the side of excusing yourself too much rather than not enough. Just hope you don’t have to use the following expressions too often- but if you do, learn which expression or phrase is correct. Excusing Yourself When you need to say excuse me, the German language provides several ways to make the request. In the examples in this and the subsequent sections, the German expression is listed on the left, with the English translation on the right, followed by a brief explanation of the social context where needed. Entschuldigung Excuse me. (such as when you want to pass by)Entschuldigen Sie bitte/ Entschuldige (casual)   Excuse meEntschuldigen Sie bitte meine Fehler.   Excuse my mistakes.Entschuldigen Sie/ Entschuldige, dass... Excuse me that / Sorry that...Entschuldigen Sie bitte, dass ich Sie stà ¶re.   Excuse me for disturbing you.Entschuldige bitte, dass ich es vergessen habe.   Sorry for forgetting. Saying Sorry for a Mishap There are two ways to say that you are sorry for a small mishap or mistake, as shown in this example: Entschuldigung / Ich bitte Sie / dich um Entschuldigung   Sorry / Please excuse me. To Ask for Forgiveness There are also several ways to ask for forgiveness in German: Jemanden um Verzeihung bitten   To ask somebody for forgivenessIch bitte Sie / dich um Verzeihung.   I ask you for forgiveness.Kà ¶nnen / Kannst Sie / du mir diese Dummheiten verzeihen? Can you forgive my foolishness?Das habe ich nicht so gemeint.   I didn’t mean it that way.Das war doch nicht so gemeint.   It wasn’t meant in that way.Das war nicht mein Ernst I wasn’t serious. Note how the last three examples do not even include the word forgive or excuse. Instead, you are essentially asking for forgiveness by making a statement indicating that you were not serious or that the intended meaning of your action or statement was misunderstood. To Regret Something German offers some colorful ways to say that you regret taking a certain action or making a particular statement. Etwas bedauern   regret somethingIch bedauere sehr, dass ich sie nicht eingeladen habe I regret not having invited her.Es tut mir Leid I am sorry.Es tut mir Leid, dass ich ihr nichts geschenkt habe I regret not having given her a present.Leider habe ich keine Zeit dafà ¼r. Unfortunately, I do not have any time for that.Es ist schade, dass er nicht hier ist. It’s too bad that he is not here.Schade! Too bad! (or Pity!) Note how in the last example, using a phrase like Too bad! in English would be considered a social faux pas as if you were saying Tough luck! in a pejorative manner. But, the phrase in German does, indeed, indicate that you are being contrite and asking for forgiveness for your transgression, whatever it may be.