6 of the Top Home Safety Tips #1: Poisoning In 2011, poisonings overtook motor vehicle crashes for the first time as the leading cause of unintentional-injury-related death for all ages combined. Poisoning deaths are caused by gases, chemicals and other substances, but prescription drug overdose is by far the leading cause #2: Motor Vehicle Crashes No one wakes up thinking they will lose a loved one in a car crash, but motor vehicle crashes are the second leading cause of unintentional-injury-related death overall. Impaired driving, distracted driving, speeding and inexperience can cause a life to be cut short in the blink of an eye. #3: Fires and Burns Fire is the sixth leading cause of unintentional-injury-related death over all ages. About 2,646 deaths were caused by burns and injuries related to fire in 2015. Often fires start at night, when family members are asleep. A working smoke alarm will cut the chances of dying in a fire in half. #4: Falls More than 33,000 people died in falls in 2015. Falling is the third leading cause of unintentional-injury-related death over all age groups, but it's the #1 cause of death for those 65 and older, according to Injury Facts 2017 The good news: Aging, itself, does not cause falls #5: Natural and Environmental Incidents Disasters are front-page news even though lives lost are relatively few compared to other unintentional-injury-related deaths. Weather- related disasters claim hundreds of lives per year. NSC encourages families to learn all they can about emergency preparedness, and always have an emergency kit on hand. #6: Drowning Not including boating incidents, about 10 people drown every day. It's the fifth leading cause of unintentional-injury-related death over all ages, and the #1 cause of death for children ages 1 to 4, mostly due to children falling into pools or being left alone in bathtubs

Use approved safety gates at the top and bottom of the stairs, and attach them to the wall if possible. Give young children your full and undivided attention when they are in and around water. Keep cribs clear of objects, and make sure that babies sleep alone, on their backs and in a crib every time they sleep. Develop and practice a home fire escape plan, with two ways out of the house in case of a fire. Make sure there is a smoke alarm on every level of your home, and test the batteries every six months. Install carbon monoxide alarms on every level of the home, especially near sleeping areas. Keep all medicine up and away and out of sight of young children, even medicine you take every day. Be alert to medicine stored in other locations, like pills in purses, vitamins on counters and medicine on nightstands. Store all household cleaners and other toxic products out of children’s sight and reach. Program the Poison Help line into your phone and post it in your home where caregivers can find it easily in an emergency: 1-800-222-1222. Secure TVs by mounting them to the wall or placing them on a low, stable piece of furniture. Install window guards or window stops to keep children from falling out of windows.