Oops! Americans report risky behavior

Last month, we noted that 27 percent of Americans never wear sunscreen when outdoors for a long time, and 70 percent don’t use hearing protection when mowing or leaf blowing. Part Two of our nationwide survey on risky behavior, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, reveals that 24 percent of Americans sometimes fail to fasten their safety belt, and 48 percent don’t have a carbon-monoxide detector at home. Many others eat raw cookie dough, seem unaware of the risks of some kids’ activities, and clean their ears wrong.

If you need motivation to do what’s safe, consider this:

• According to the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration, safety belts saved 15,147 lives in the U.S. in 2007.
  
  
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that carbon-monoxide poisoning claims almost 500 lives in the U.S. each year.
  
  
• The CDC notes that a common cause of food-borne salmonella infections is undercooked or raw eggs. Salmonellosis causes an estimated 1.4 million cases of food-borne illness and more than 500 deaths annually in the United States.
  
  
• Based on our analysis of Consumer Product Safety Commission data, more than 105,000 hospital-treated injuries in the U.S. in 2007 were linked to trampolines.
  
  
• Although a warning on the Q-tip box says, “Entering the ear canal could cause injury”—a perforated eardrum, say—people still stick swabs inside their ears. (You can use ear drops to manage a buildup of wax, though you might need a doctor if symptoms persist.)

Men were slightly more likely than women to let kids play on a trampoline; women were more apt to eat burgers well done, fasten their safety belt religiously, and—listen up, men—clean lint from the dryer after each use. Respondents ages 18 to 35 were more likely than older folk to eat raw cookie dough; those 55 and older were most likely to have a rubber mat in the tub or shower. Percentages below might not total 100 because of “don’t know” answers.