May 1996
HAZARDS OUTSIDE THE HOME
Powerful machinery, tools, chemicals, confined spaces, water and motor vehicles are some
potential hazards facing youth today. Because of these hazards, parents need to provide
"hazard free" environments for their youth. Boundaries and limits need to be set for
youth.
Bicycle Safety
Teach these bicycle safety rules to youth and follow them yourself.
- Stop before riding out into traffic from a driveway, sidewalk, alley or
parking lot. Look left, right and left again. When there is no traffic,
enter the roadway.
- Ride on the right with traffic.
- Obey all traffic signs, including stop signs and red lights. Kids under
12 should walk, not bike, through busy intersections.
- Look back and yield to traffic coming from behind before turning left at
intersections.
All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs)
All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) exploded onto the scene in the 1970s, but didn't
achieve widespread popularity until the 1980s. What makes the vehicles unique are
their wide, soft tires. The wide ATV tires exert less impact on the ground and make
traveling on many types of terrain possible. Their primary use is recreational, although
they are often used in work on farms and ranches.
Although three-wheeled ATVs are no longer manufactured because of safety concerns,
many are still in use. Four-wheeled ATVs can also be hazardous. The ATV driver
plays an important role in how well the vehicle handles. Drivers must use body weight
in turns, going up and down hills, etc. Sometimes drivers are not as skilled as is
necessary to operate the vehicles safely.
More than 1,000 people nationally, including many youth, have died in accidents
involving ATVs since 1983. There are three primary factors contributing to the
fatalities: 1) riders aren't wearing helmets, eye protection, gloves, long pants or boots,
2) youth often lack the size and skill to handle the machines they are driving, 3)
ATVs are often driven on public roads. (In Nebraska, the law allows short trips from
farm to field for agricultural purposes. A bicycle flag must be mounted on the ATV
for road use.)
Lawnmowers
Because many youth operate lawnmowers at home or on the farm, it's extremely
important for them to learn safety rules. An object hit just right by a mower could be
propelled up to 35 feet at almost 200 miles per hour. As with any piece of power
equipment, the strength and maturity of the operator should always be the primary
consideration when determining who should use lawnmowers and under what conditions.
Tips for Youth:
- Read the owners manual before operating.
- Check the lawnmower before it's fueled and started.
- Check the gasoline level and fill if necessary. Never fill the gas tank
while the engine is hot or running. Be careful not to spill. If you spill
wipe it up right away. DO NOT START the engine until it is dry
because a spark could start a fire.
- Wear hearing and eye protection.
- Always be supervised by an adult.
- Wear proper clothing -- sturdy closed-toe shoes, gloves, long pants and
sun protection.
- Never allow extra riders.
Robert D. Grisso
Extension Engineer, Ag Machinery Specialist
UNL Biological Systems Engineering
YOUTH ARE GETTING TALLER
If you are taller than your parents, you are consistent with a trend that has been documented over
the past 200 years. People are getting taller and maturing earlier. American pioneer clothing is
smaller in relation to sizes we wear today. Their beds and other furniture also reflect a shorter stature.
Over a half century, two inches in height was gained for the average five-year-old and four inches for
11-year- olds. In addition, the age of puberty has declined three to four years since the turn of the
century. This accelerated maturation rate has been occurring world-wide.
MATURING PHYSICALLY AT EARLIER AGES
Data from the New England Journal of Medicine reflects a number of studies done since 1790 on
the age of menarche (the first occurrence of menstruation) for girls. The studies reflect a decline in the
age of puberty in countries throughout the world. The 1982 American Medical Association Family
Medical Guide stated that the onset of puberty usually begins at about ages 10 to 11 for girls and about
12 or 13 for boys.
Children who are most likely to be accelerated physically are children who are tall for their
chronological age. Children who tend to develop slower are shorter and lighter weight for their
chronological age. There are exceptions however, so each child must be considered individually. Each
child will reach puberty at a different height and weight and may not necessarily have the same sequence
of sexual development.
What this means for parents is that their children will generally exhibit adolescent risk taking and
independence seeking behavior at an earlier age, be interested in the opposite sex at an earlier age and
will begin thinking of starting a career sooner. They also will exhibit adult behavior sooner than the
average child 100 years ago or even just 10 years ago.
References:
Kunz, J.R.M. (1982).The American Medical Association Family Medical
Guide. New York: Random House.
Tanner, J.M. (1968). Earlier Maturation in Man.Scientific American, 219
(1), 21-27.
Wyshak, G., Frisck, R.E. (1982, April) Evidence For A Secular Trend In
Age Of Menarche.The New England Journal of Medicine, 306, 1033-
1035.
Written by Karen Wermers, Extension Educator
Northeast EPU, Dixon County