Societal influences on childhood accidents

Efforts aimed at the prevention of accidents to children have, at various times, focused on the behavior of the child, the behavior of the child's parents, and the physical environment of the child. Whatever their focus, many of these efforts have been unsuccessful because they have failed to take into account social factors which influence not only the behavior of both children and parents but also the nature and number of hazards in the child's environment, both at home and elsewhere. This paper reviews briefly each of the several foci of accident countermeasures in order to identify social factors that have been overlooked and to indicate why these factors must be recognized and dealt with if future countermeasures are to be effective.