Is the fourth of July becoming more dangerous?

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The forth of july may have been half a month ago... but for the people who were injured in a fireworks accident, it was only yesterday. It may seem like fun at the time setting off fireworks yourself, but it's reckless fun at best.

According to Dr. Marty Schneider, therapeutic optometrist, about 6,400 Americans are treated annually for fireworksrelated injuries during the Fourth of July holiday period. Of those, almost 1,300 are treated for injuries to the eye.

6,400 injuries JUST because of fireworks? That makes you think differently about wanting to set them off yourself doesn't it?  Of course next year this number will rise drastically because people either don't care or just don't heed the warning signs

Schneider also had these facts about fireworksrelated eye injuries:

•Children under 16 account for 60 percent of fireworksrelated eye injuries.

•Almost half of fireworks injuries happen to bystanders.

•The fireworks that cause the most injuries are bottle rockets, firecrackers and sparklers.

Fireworks have even been made illegal in some areas due to excessive injuries sustained to more than one person each year. Some states will only let you have certain fireworks if you have a permit.  Contact the National Council on Fireworks Safety, (301) 907-7998 to find out if fireworks are illegal to you, or if you want to report somebody who may be setting off fireworks outside of the law.

So next time you think about setting off fireworks, Think about that trip to the hospital you could be making if things go wrong.