Who We Are

Who We Are
The Safe Kids St. Louis Coalition is happy that you chose to visit our site. We work hard to provide injury prevention for children ages 0-14 in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Jefferson County, Franklin County, and Washington County. We collaborate with many agencies to make sure that children in our area are safe. Please visit the portions that interest you and let us know if we can be of assistance.

What We Do
Safe Kids Worldwide promotes changes in attitudes, behaviors, laws and the environment to prevent accidental injury to children. In the United States, we have contributed to a 45 percent reduction in the child fatality rate from accidental injury – saving an estimated 38,000 children’s lives. Canada achieved a 37 percent reduction in child accidental deaths between 1994 and 2003, while the German child death rate declined 80 percent since 1980 and 75 percent in Austria between 1983 and 2003. We’ve distributed more than 2.5 million bike helmets and 250,000 smoke alarms and checked more than 740,000 car seats.

Recent Additions

Safe Kids Login

To find the nearest place to have your car seat checked Call (314) SSM-DOCS

For Program Questions:
Safekids St. Louis
Cathy Hogan
7980 Clayton Rd.
Suite 200
St. Louis, MO 63117
(314) 612-5770
Cathy_Hogan@ssmhc.com

Preventing Head Injury

Tyke on Trike Tips and articles regarding the proper use of helmets in sports, bike riding and all things with wheels

Winter Sport Safety

With snow comes outdoor activities like sled riding, skiing, snowboarding and ice skating. Thousands of children suffer injuries during these activities that may be prevented.

Helmets are essential for many outdoor winter activities. The risk of head injury is too great to leave the helmet in a closet at home. Helmets prevent or reduce the effects of 53 percent of the head injuries suffered by children while skiing or snowboarding.

Children should bundle up and enjoy the outdoors. Before heading out, it is important to remember a few key items in addition to the hat and gloves.

Top Winter Safety Tips

Always wear sport-specific, properly fitting safety gear when participating in winter sports.

Kids should always wear helmets when they ski, sled, snowboard and play ice hockey. There are different helmets for different activities.

Parents should wear helmets too. Remember, your children learn safety habits by watching you.

Dress in layers and wear warm, close-fitting clothes. Make sure that long scarves are tucked in so they don’t get entangled in lifts, ski poles or other equipment.

Stay hydrated. Drink fluids before, during and after winter play.

Kids — or caregivers — who become distracted or irritable, or begin to hyperventilate, may be suffering from hypothermia or altitude sickness, or they may be too tired to participate safely in winter sports. They need to go indoors to warm up and rest.

Children under 6 should not ride a snowmobile, and nobody under 16 should drive one. All snowmobile drivers and passengers should wear helmets designed for high-speed motor sports. A bike helmet isn’t sufficient for a four-wheeled motorcycle that can go up to 90 miles per hour.

Helmet Basics

Boy with bike helmet Bike riding is a great way to get exercise and fresh air and share time as a family. But before you and the kids rush out and start pedaling, there's an important factor that you need to consider — safety.

Bicycle helmet use should not be optional for anyone in your family, no matter where you are or how short the ride. In many states it's the law.

Here's why: Most bike accidents involve a head injury, so a crash could mean permanent brain damage or death for someone who doesn't wear one while riding. In fact, each year in the United States, about half a million kids are seriously injured in bicycle-related accidents, and most of those injuries could have been avoided if a helmet was worn.

Bike and Skating

Bicycling and Skating Safety Fact Sheet

Key Facts

Each year, approximately 140 children are killed as bicyclists.

Total Bicyclist Deaths, Children 0-14 Years

Children sustain more than 275,000 nonfatal bicycle injuries each year.

Safe Kids St. Louis