� Bicycling. Every cyclist needs to wear a properly fitted bike helmet. Children should ride bikes of appropriate size and should not ride without supervision until they have demonstrated safe riding habits and good judgment.

� Playgrounds. Grass, soil and asphalt are not safe surfaces for playground equipment; the ground should be covered 12 inches deep with mulch, shredded rubber or fine sand. Beware of jewelry, bike helmet straps and drawstrings in apparel, which can get caught on playground equipment and strangle a child.

� Traffic. Teach your children to use crosswalks and walk signals when available and only to cross after looking both ways.

� Climbing and falls. Windows above the first floor should be equipped with window guards - a screen does not prevent falls. Supervise children around open windows; about 5,000 kids each year are seriously injured by falling out of windows onto hard surfaces.

This summer, make safety a part of your regular routine and help reduce the incidence of childhood injury.

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