Nationwide Make Safe Happen program to focus on reducing accidental injuries

Nationwide recently announced the focus of its 2017 Make Safe Happen program.

The insurance company's goal is reducing accidental injuries in children.

The program will focus on nursery safety in the first quarter, wheel-based activities in the second quarter and water and fire safety in the second half of the year. The leading cause of death in children age 12 and younger is accidental injuries.

Make Safe Happen has information and resources to help parents make the nursery and home safe for babies. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that more than 65,000 children were seen in the emergency room for nursery-related injuries in 2015.

Safety with wheeled toys and equipment is an important issue for parents and families. Children play on bikes, inline skates, skateboards and other wheeled items, often without safety equipment, such as helmets and elbow pads.

Water and fire safety will include grassroots efforts. Make Safe Happen will partner with Safe Kids Worldwide and the American Red Cross to sponsor safety events and activities nationwide. In addition, the second annual Home Fire Drill Day will be held on Oct. 14.

“We aim to reach as many parents and caregivers as possible with potentially life-saving safety messages,” Nationwide Senior Vice President of Brand Mike Boyd said in a press release. “Through Make Safe Happen, we empowered more than 1 million safety actions last year, and based on our success in surpassing this goal, we aim to spark more than 3 million safety actions in 2017. This program is an extension of Nationwide’s proud and long-standing commitment to protecting what matters most to families – their children.”