The 10 safest states for kids

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

The 10 safest states for kids

Got kids? Parents magazine maps the safe havens and danger zones across America

1. Connecticut

Excels at: Enacting safety-minded laws and educating parents about them.

“When our booster-seat law was about to take effect a few years ago, a notice was sent home with every kindergartner and first-grader in the state,” says Karen Brock, director of Safe Kids Connecticut. Even for legislation that’s been on the books for a while — the state started requiring that kids wear bike helmets in 1993 — education efforts are ongoing. “Instead of developing one-size-fits-all programs for the entire state, we try to match them up with the area,” says Brock. “For instance, in high traffic areas we zero in on pedestrian safety, while in the suburbs we’re more likely to promote bike safety.”

The proof that it’s working: Kids in the state are far less likely to die from accidents; in fact, Connecticut has the second-lowest rate in the nation.

Still hazardous: Backyard swimming pools. Connecticut is one of 45 states that don’t require drain covers for home pools. This led to the death last summer of a 6-year-old from Greenwich who became trapped in the suction of an uncovered drain. However, new federal legislation mandates that drain covers and other safety devices be installed in public pools nationwide by 2009 and gives states incentives to enact laws that cover backyard ones.

2. Rhode Island

Excels at: Combating crime — particularly against kids. The state’s violent-crime rate is about half the national average and falling. One of the big deterrents: stronger punishments for first degree child molesters that require offenders to be electronically monitored for life. Rhode Island is one of only a handful of states to have enacted these laws.

Still hazardous: School-bus crossings. The Department of Transportation (DOT) outlined five safety standards, and so far the state has met only two of them.

3. New Jersey

Excels at: Keeping unsafe products out of child-care centers. Before the rash of recalls because of lead paint last year, the state had passed legislation requiring these facilities to check cribs, toys, and other products against a list of potential health and safety threats. The repercussions for noncompliance are serious: Violators may lose their license.

Still hazardous: Improperly installed car seats. New Jersey has just 18 car-seat check sites for its more than 6 million residents, the second-worst rate in the country. Since many parents, especially first-timers, botch car-seat installation, getting your seat checked is a smart idea, says Karen Aldana, a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spokesperson.

4. New York

Excels at: Championing seat belts on school buses. In 1987, New York became the first state in the nation to require that seat belts be installed on the Big Yellow Bus — and since then, only five other states have enacted legislation. “The seat belts at the time went only across the child’s lap,” says Alan L. Ross, president of the National Coalition for School Bus Safety. “More and more, new buses are getting shoulder-and-lap belts.”

Still hazardous: Handguns. A New York law requires that a child-safety lock be sold with a handgun but surprisingly doesn’t mandate that it be used.

5. California

Excels at: Keeping kids — especially those under five — out of the E.R. California’s injury rate for that age range is the lowest in the nation, half that of Illinois, Alaska and Utah. It’s no coincidence that the state has strong playground, bike and pool safety laws.

Still hazardous: Wildfires. California can’t control Mother Nature, but it can boost its fire-fighting brigade. It’s stretched thin, with one of the lowest firefighter-to-resident ratios of any state.

6. Maine

Excels at: Keeping teen drivers in check. “Across the nation, teens have the highest rate of accidents and need some restrictions to prevent injuries to themselves and others on the road,” says Korn. Among the measures recommended by the DOT: limiting the number of passengers a teen driver can have in the car, restricting cell-phone use, and having a graduated system in which drivers are not able to obtain a full license until their 17th birthday. Maine is one of only nine states that stipulate all three.

Still hazardous: Leaving kids alone in cars. The state, like many, doesn’t have a law that makes it illegal to leave a child unattended in a parked vehicle or, worse, when the motor is running.

7. Pennsylvania

Excels at: Deterring sex offenders. Pennsylvania has the lowest rate of child molesters of any state. And legislators recently sent a message to stay away: The state strengthened the penalties for sex offenders and made it easier for cases to be prosecuted.

Still hazardous: Not being able to ticket drivers for a booster seat violation without suspecting another offense. Laws in most states allow police officers to issue a ticket solely for not having a booster seat, but Pennsylvania requires that the driver be stopped for another, different violation — speeding, for instance.

8. Mass.

Excels at: Having a great emergency-care system. The state has one of the highest rates of board-certified emergency medicine specialists along with leading trauma centers for children, including Children’s Hospital Boston. Though the injury rate for kids is close to average, the death rate is the lowest in the nation.

Still hazardous: Allowing 4-year-olds to buckle up in the backseat without a booster. Massachusetts is the only state in the Northeast without a booster-seat law. “Seat belts are made based on adult proportions,” says Korn. “Booster seats elevate kids so the seat belts fit properly. Without boosters, seat belts can injure kids in an accident.” Kids need a booster until they weigh 80 to 100 pounds and are at least 4'9" — that’s usually age 8 or older.

9. Maryland

Excels at: Educating residents about the dangers of carbon monoxide. The colorless, odorless gas kills at least 500 people every year. A recent law in the state requires a carbon-monoxide detector to be installed in all new homes and apartment buildings — and gave the state the opportunity to get the word out even for residents who weren’t mandated to have one.

Still hazardous: The streets at night. Maryland’s rate of violent crime, while on the decline in recent years, lingers at about 50 percent above the national average.

10. Oregon

Excels at: Keeping kids safe when they’re on wheels. Oregon enacted a bike-helmet law for kids more than a decade ago and since has extended it to include scooters, in-line skates and skateboards. “It’s as important to wear a helmet when using these other toys with wheels as it is on a bike,” says Gary Smith, M.D., director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, in Columbus, Ohio. One report he coauthored for the American Academy of Pediatrics found that scooters sent nearly 10,000 children to the emergency room in just a seven-month period.

Still hazardous: Firearms in the home. The state doesn’t require that gun owners take responsible steps to prevent children from gaining access to them. “You may lock up a gun in your house, but if your child goes over to a friend’s home, you can’t be sure of the situation — especially in states that don’t have this kind of legislation,” points out Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

The rest of the country

Here's how the rest of the states stack up:

11. Vermont

12. New Hampshire

13. Delaware

14. North Carolina

15. North Dakota

16. West Virginia

17. Illinois

18. Virginia

19. Indiana

20. Wisconsin

21. Florida

22. Washington

23. Nebraska

24. Idaho

25. Hawaii

26. New Mexico

27. Kansas

28. Missouri

29. Wyoming

30. Oklahoma

31. Tennessee

32. Louisiana

33. Michigan

34. Alabama

35. Ohio

36. Georgia

37. Montana

38. Texas

39. Colorado

40. Arkansas

41. Kentucky

42. Nevada

43. Iowa

44. Utah

45. Minnesota

46. Arizona

47. South Dakota

48. South Carolina

49. Alaska

50. Mississippi

Where the criminals live

Every parent worries about having a sex offender in their neighborhood, but how likely you are to cross paths with one depends on where you live. These states have the highest rate of sex offenders based on data from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

* Alaska (1 for every 143 residents)

* Oregon (1 for every 180 residents)

* Michigan (1 for every 240 residents)

* Vermont (1 for every 249 residents)

...

How we did it

From October 2007 to January 2008, Parents analyzed state-level data on more than 30 criteria that impact a child’s safety. The data was supplied by leading organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Safe Kids Worldwide. For a complete list of the criteria and data sources, check out parentsmag.com.

By Karen Cicero for Parents magazine

Updated: 12:46 p.m. ET Mar. 19, 2008

URL: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/23697255/?GT1=43001

[Ovaltine Jenkins 5]

1 for every 143 residents seems a pretty high number to me... I hope they meant 1 for every 14 300 residents....

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

1 for every 143 residents seems a pretty high number to me... I hope they meant 1 for every 14 300 residents....

They mean 143.

[athena_ny 1]

The 10 safest states for kids

Got kids? Parents magazine maps the safe havens and danger zones across America

1. Connecticut

Excels at: Enacting safety-minded laws and educating parents about them.

“When our booster-seat law was about to take effect a few years ago, a notice was sent home with every kindergartner and first-grader in the state,” says Karen Brock, director of Safe Kids Connecticut. Even for legislation that’s been on the books for a while — the state started requiring that kids wear bike helmets in 1993 — education efforts are ongoing. “Instead of developing one-size-fits-all programs for the entire state, we try to match them up with the area,” says Brock. “For instance, in high traffic areas we zero in on pedestrian safety, while in the suburbs we’re more likely to promote bike safety.”

The proof that it’s working: Kids in the state are far less likely to die from accidents; in fact, Connecticut has the second-lowest rate in the nation.

Still hazardous: Backyard swimming pools. Connecticut is one of 45 states that don’t require drain covers for home pools. This led to the death last summer of a 6-year-old from Greenwich who became trapped in the suction of an uncovered drain. However, new federal legislation mandates that drain covers and other safety devices be installed in public pools nationwide by 2009 and gives states incentives to enact laws that cover backyard ones.

2. Rhode Island

Excels at: Combating crime — particularly against kids. The state’s violent-crime rate is about half the national average and falling. One of the big deterrents: stronger punishments for first degree child molesters that require offenders to be electronically monitored for life. Rhode Island is one of only a handful of states to have enacted these laws.

Still hazardous: School-bus crossings. The Department of Transportation (DOT) outlined five safety standards, and so far the state has met only two of them.

3. New Jersey

Excels at: Keeping unsafe products out of child-care centers. Before the rash of recalls because of lead paint last year, the state had passed legislation requiring these facilities to check cribs, toys, and other products against a list of potential health and safety threats. The repercussions for noncompliance are serious: Violators may lose their license.

Still hazardous: Improperly installed car seats. New Jersey has just 18 car-seat check sites for its more than 6 million residents, the second-worst rate in the country. Since many parents, especially first-timers, botch car-seat installation, getting your seat checked is a smart idea, says Karen Aldana, a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spokesperson.

4. New York

Excels at: Championing seat belts on school buses. In 1987, New York became the first state in the nation to require that seat belts be installed on the Big Yellow Bus — and since then, only five other states have enacted legislation. “The seat belts at the time went only across the child’s lap,” says Alan L. Ross, president of the National Coalition for School Bus Safety. “More and more, new buses are getting shoulder-and-lap belts.”

Still hazardous: Handguns. A New York law requires that a child-safety lock be sold with a handgun but surprisingly doesn’t mandate that it be used.

5. California

Excels at: Keeping kids — especially those under five — out of the E.R. California’s injury rate for that age range is the lowest in the nation, half that of Illinois, Alaska and Utah. It’s no coincidence that the state has strong playground, bike and pool safety laws.

Still hazardous: Wildfires. California can’t control Mother Nature, but it can boost its fire-fighting brigade. It’s stretched thin, with one of the lowest firefighter-to-resident ratios of any state.

6. Maine

Excels at: Keeping teen drivers in check. “Across the nation, teens have the highest rate of accidents and need some restrictions to prevent injuries to themselves and others on the road,” says Korn. Among the measures recommended by the DOT: limiting the number of passengers a teen driver can have in the car, restricting cell-phone use, and having a graduated system in which drivers are not able to obtain a full license until their 17th birthday. Maine is one of only nine states that stipulate all three.

Still hazardous: Leaving kids alone in cars. The state, like many, doesn’t have a law that makes it illegal to leave a child unattended in a parked vehicle or, worse, when the motor is running.

7. Pennsylvania

Excels at: Deterring sex offenders. Pennsylvania has the lowest rate of child molesters of any state. And legislators recently sent a message to stay away: The state strengthened the penalties for sex offenders and made it easier for cases to be prosecuted.

Still hazardous: Not being able to ticket drivers for a booster seat violation without suspecting another offense. Laws in most states allow police officers to issue a ticket solely for not having a booster seat, but Pennsylvania requires that the driver be stopped for another, different violation — speeding, for instance.

8. Mass.

Excels at: Having a great emergency-care system. The state has one of the highest rates of board-certified emergency medicine specialists along with leading trauma centers for children, including Children’s Hospital Boston. Though the injury rate for kids is close to average, the death rate is the lowest in the nation.

Still hazardous: Allowing 4-year-olds to buckle up in the backseat without a booster. Massachusetts is the only state in the Northeast without a booster-seat law. “Seat belts are made based on adult proportions,” says Korn. “Booster seats elevate kids so the seat belts fit properly. Without boosters, seat belts can injure kids in an accident.” Kids need a booster until they weigh 80 to 100 pounds and are at least 4'9" — that’s usually age 8 or older.

9. Maryland

Excels at: Educating residents about the dangers of carbon monoxide. The colorless, odorless gas kills at least 500 people every year. A recent law in the state requires a carbon-monoxide detector to be installed in all new homes and apartment buildings — and gave the state the opportunity to get the word out even for residents who weren’t mandated to have one.

Still hazardous: The streets at night. Maryland’s rate of violent crime, while on the decline in recent years, lingers at about 50 percent above the national average.

10. Oregon

Excels at: Keeping kids safe when they’re on wheels. Oregon enacted a bike-helmet law for kids more than a decade ago and since has extended it to include scooters, in-line skates and skateboards. “It’s as important to wear a helmet when using these other toys with wheels as it is on a bike,” says Gary Smith, M.D., director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, in Columbus, Ohio. One report he coauthored for the American Academy of Pediatrics found that scooters sent nearly 10,000 children to the emergency room in just a seven-month period.

Still hazardous: Firearms in the home. The state doesn’t require that gun owners take responsible steps to prevent children from gaining access to them. “You may lock up a gun in your house, but if your child goes over to a friend’s home, you can’t be sure of the situation — especially in states that don’t have this kind of legislation,” points out Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

The rest of the country

Here's how the rest of the states stack up:

11. Vermont

12. New Hampshire

13. Delaware

14. North Carolina

15. North Dakota

16. West Virginia

17. Illinois

18. Virginia

19. Indiana

20. Wisconsin

21. Florida

22. Washington

23. Nebraska

24. Idaho

25. Hawaii

26. New Mexico

27. Kansas

28. Missouri

29. Wyoming

30. Oklahoma

31. Tennessee

32. Louisiana

33. Michigan

34. Alabama

35. Ohio

36. Georgia

37. Montana

38. Texas

39. Colorado

40. Arkansas

41. Kentucky

42. Nevada

43. Iowa

44. Utah

45. Minnesota

46. Arizona

47. South Dakota

48. South Carolina

49. Alaska

50. Mississippi

Where the criminals live

Every parent worries about having a sex offender in their neighborhood, but how likely you are to cross paths with one depends on where you live. These states have the highest rate of sex offenders based on data from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

* Alaska (1 for every 143 residents)

* Oregon (1 for every 180 residents)

* Michigan (1 for every 240 residents)

* Vermont (1 for every 249 residents)

...

How we did it

From October 2007 to January 2008, Parents analyzed state-level data on more than 30 criteria that impact a child’s safety. The data was supplied by leading organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Safe Kids Worldwide. For a complete list of the criteria and data sources, check out parentsmag.com.

By Karen Cicero for Parents magazine

Updated: 12:46 p.m. ET Mar. 19, 2008

URL: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/23697255/?GT1=43001

I went to school in NY. There is a law saying the seatbelts have to BE ON busses, but the busdrivers would constantly tell us not to use them, because it made their job harder. No joke. I got told I had to sit in the front for two weeks because I used a seat belt. #######!

1 for every 143 residents seems a pretty high number to me... I hope they meant 1 for every 14 300 residents....

They mean 143. The highest concentrations of sex criminals=high numbers.

I'm surprised Florida wasn't 1 of the 4. There's like 20 within walking distance of my apartment.

[SteveLaura 0]

'Sex offender' can also mean an 18 year old that has had sex with a 15 year old, for example. The spectrum of offences is pretty broad.

[Ovaltine Jenkins 5]

1 for every 143 residents seems a pretty high number to me... I hope they meant 1 for every 14 300 residents....

They mean 143.

I know I realize that

[DeadPoolX 9]

Oh well. So much for the "Top 10 Safest States in the U.S." now that the cat's out of the bag. When pedophiles and other child predators read and hear about this, they'll see these "safer states" as prime hunting grounds.

[Giskat09 2]

Thanks for the info!

[caybee 21]

--- snip ---

The rest of the country

Here's how the rest of the states stack up:

11. Vermont

12. New Hampshire

13. Delaware

14. North Carolina

15. North Dakota

16. West Virginia

17. Illinois

18. Virginia

19. Indiana

20. Wisconsin

21. Florida

22. Washington

23. Nebraska

24. Idaho

25. Hawaii

26. New Mexico

27. Kansas

28. Missouri

29. Wyoming

30. Oklahoma

31. Tennessee

32. Louisiana

33. Michigan

34. Alabama

35. Ohio

36. Georgia

37. Montana

38. Texas

39. Colorado

40. Arkansas

41. Kentucky

42. Nevada

43. Iowa

44. Utah

45. Minnesota

46. Arizona

47. South Dakota

48. South Carolina

49. Alaska

50. Mississippi

--- snip ---

By Karen Cicero for Parents magazine

Updated: 12:46 p.m. ET Mar. 19, 2008

URL: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/23697255/?GT1=43001

As they always say in South Carolina... thank goodness for Mississippi...

[mc2000ch 0]

I can't belive UTAH is all the way down

[Nizzy 1]

Oh Goodness! Illinois is safer than Virginia...I'm moving back!

[almaty 19]

Oh Goodness! Illinois is safer than Virginia...I'm moving back!

Illinois... the land of lincoln....against slavery, from the start.. and against any politician with the last name Bush

[LaL 418]

Oh noes! I spy a whole lotta liberal states at the top!

[Mags 112]

If you want to know who lives near you try this site. Just tap in your town and it will tell you who lives near you and what they did.

[eau_xplain 2]

143 registered offenders within a 5 mile radius of our home address