Staying Safe This Summer

Summer is a time to build happy core memories with your family - camping, concerts, outdoor activities, and more. As the heat and sun start revving up, keep the following tips and reminders in mind for keeping your family safe this summer, whether you're on the road, at the beach, in the water, or at fireworks shows and concerts.

Protect Your Skin

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Most skin cancers are caused by overexposure to harmful UV rays from direct sunlight, tanning beds, or sun lamps. Reduce your family’s skin cancer risk this summer by following these tips for sun protection.

• Wear a broad-spectrum ≥30 SPF sunscreen & reapply every 2 hours, more often if you spend time in the water.

• Wear UVA/UVB-blocking accessories - a pair of sunglasses and a hat with a brim that shades your face, neck, and ears, especially at midday when UV rays are the strongest.

• Take frequent breaks from sun exposure by sitting in the shade or going indoors, especially during midday.

• Hydrate often. Drink plenty of water, even if you don’t feel thirsty. Avoid or limit alcohol, sugary, and caffeinated drinks.

Protect Your Hearing

Summertime activities—sporting events, fireworks displays, and concerts/festivals, plus spending more time using tablets, smartphones, and gaming devices—can all lead to permanent hearing damage. But did you know that hearing loss from noise exposure is completely preventable? Follow these tips to protect your family’s hearing.

• Lower the volume on tech devices. Listen at half volume (or less) when using earbuds or headphones.

• Keep your distance. Stay at least 500 feet away from speakers, a stage, or a fireworks launch site.

• Take regular listening breaks. When attending a noisy event, leave the loud area periodically. When using earbuds or headphones, take out every hour, even if just for a few minutes.

• Wear hearing protection at noisy events, such ear plugs for adults and older children and well-fitted earmuffs for younger children.

  
  

Stay Safe in the Water

More children ages 1-4 die from unintentional drowning than any other cause except birth defects and drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 5-14? Protect your loved ones in the backyard or elsewhere this summer by heeding the following tips:

• Designate a “Water Watcher.” This is a capable adult at swim times who will watch and stay near the water and be within arm’s reach of children swimming.

• Keep U.S. Coast Guard-approved life preservers and jackets nearby all water play areas, including pools, ponds, and rivers.

• Never leave a child unattended near the water. Always accompany them, no matter what depth. It only takes one inch of standing water to cause drowning.

• Learn CPR, including for infants and children, and practice it regularly. Encourage your family and friends to do the same. Oftentimes, the training is offered through work or school. You can also learn it online or in person through your local Red Cross chapter.

Drive Safely

In April 2025, some significant changes to Michigan's Child Passenger Safety Laws went into effect. Keep the following updates in mind as you prepare for family road trips this summer.

• Infant to 2 years. Rear-facing car seat until they reach the maximum weight or height allowed by the car seat’s manufacturer or the child is 2 years old

• 2-5 years. Can move into a forward-facing car seat until they reach the maximum weight or height allowed by the car seat’s manufacturer or the child is 5 years old

• 5-8 years. Can move to a belt-positioning booster seat using a lap-and-shoulder belt until they are 4'9" or 8 years old

• All children under 13. Must ride in the rear seat of a vehicle if the vehicle has one available