The Safest Line: a blog for parents

KID recently met with Ken Levinson, the author of The Safest Line blog. Ken is a Chicago attorney. We asked him some questions about the blog and his thoughts on safety for children.

What led you to start The Safest Line?

My experience helping injured children (plus having three boys of my own) inspired me to take a proactive stance to prevent child injuries by showing parents how to become active proponents of their own children’s safety.

What are your goals for the blog and outreach?

Parents are bombarded daily with child safety messages and warnings that create an environment of fear. The Safest Line helps parents move past the noise by cutting to the safety issues that matter. As parents we can do a better job educating ourselves and our children about child safety to reduce the amount of child injuries that occur each year.

I also want parents to feel empowered to take a stand against careless corporations and individuals. Being a child injury lawyer helps, but in the age of social media, parents have a whole new way of alerting the public about dangerous products and behaviors. The online petition to ban crib bumpers is a great example of the proactive steps we can take to improve child safety.

If you had to give parents one piece of safety advice, what would it be?

Be alert, be proactive, and stay educated – but don’t be overprotective. We want to raise children who think for themselves. Find effective ways to instill safety values in your kids. If parents are always doing the thinking for their children, those kids miss out on learning experiences that will protect them when they grow up and experience more personal freedoms.

What is the attorney’s role in product safety?

Traditionally, child injury lawyers haven’t become involved until after the child is injured. Unfortunately, this role will always exist, but I think we have an obligation to do more to prevent child injuries by better promoting child safety. I want to help families hold careless companies and people accountable, but I also want fewer dangerous products on the market. I firmly believe that one child injured is one too many.

Thanks Ken! You can read KID's blog post on The Safest Line here.