Deaths and Injuries From Drawstrings

I never gave this a second thought, but apparently drawstrings can be a ’strangulation hazard.’

The drawstrings on children’s clothing can catch on playground equipment, bus doors or cribs. Playground slides are a leading cause for these incidents.

Velco, snaps, button and elastic closures are low risk alternatives to drawstrings. Please take a minute to check out the attached guidelines (PDF) by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. It illustrates specific examples of how children have become hung up on a slide, fence, crib, school bus hand rail, etc.

It’s a low probability accident, but being informed is the best defense against the unexpected.
-BD