Safety During The Holidays
It is about this time each year when many of us begin to get caught up in the rush of the holiday season. As of this writing, Thanksgiving is just around the corner with Christmas close behind. It is also about this time of year that the weather turns and the snow begins to fly.
Coupling a hectic holiday schedule with less than ideal driving conditions often leads to an increase in personal injury car accidents and injuries in Des Moines. In addition to car accidents, the holiday season also ushers in an uptick in other types of injuries and accidents such as house fires, slip and falls, and injury from faulty products.
It is true that there is never a “good” time to suffer an injury but doing so during the holiday season seems to add insult to injury.
To that end, in an attempt to make the holiday season safer for all, the lawyers at Des Moines Injury Law .com have compiled the following helpful hints which, if heeded, can help reduce personal injuries.
Winter Driving Tips in Des Moines:
• Avoid driving while drowsy which can result in car accidents.
• Never warm your car by letting it run in the garage. This could be a fatal mistake.
• Ensure your tires have the proper air pressure.
• Don’t mix tire types. For example, do not have one radial tire and three non-radial. Doing so can impact handling.
• Keep your gas tank as full as possible. Allowing your tank to drop below half-full can lead to gas line freeze.
• Avoid using cruise control on slick roads.
• Always wear your seatbelt.
Long Distance winter driving tips:
• Educate yourself about the weather prior to beginning your trip. There are multiple sources available online to help you with this.
• Ensure your cell phone is charged and you have a charger with you.
• Consider putting together a winter survival kit for your car. Some useful items include: a blanket, hat, mittens, food, water, a lighter, flashlight, and prescription medications.
• If you end up off the road, stay with your car. Your car provides shelter and it gives rescuers a better chance of finding you.
• If you do go off the road and your car is running, check that your tailpipe isn’t clogged or you risk having carbon monoxide get into the car.
• If you find yourself off the road, consider running your car just long enough to keep warm then shutting it off to conserve gas.
Tips for driving in the snow:
• Start, stop, and turn slowly. Remember, it takes more time to make any type of maneuver on slick roads.
• Be familiar with your brakes but don’t come to a complete stop unless it is absolutely necessary. It takes much more force to get a car moving from a dead stop than it does from a roll.
• Try to avoid over-accelerating while going up a hill as doing so often leads to tires just spinning. Once you reach the top of a hill, slow down and go down as carefully and slowly as is prudent.
• If you don’t have to drive – don’t!
Home Safety Tips During the Holidays:
• Decorate your home and tree with children in mind. Kids will, inevitably, want to play with ornaments and lights which can result in injury. Put breakable ornaments and those with sharp edges and points out of the reach of kids.
• Make sure candles are out when leaving the house or going to bed. Although this sounds simple, many homes have decorative candles in out of the way spots which can lead to them being forgotten. Ensure candles are far enough away from other decorations to reduce the risk of fires.
• Inspect your Christmas lights as loose or frayed wires can cause fires.
• Keep your tree watered as dry needles on trees are a fire hazard.
• Keep dangerous plants out of reach of kids. Poinsettias, mistletoe berries, holly berry, and other plants can make children and animals sick.
• Keep pot handles turned inwards while cooking. A busy kitchen is a sure sign of the holidays and a small child can be overlooked in the hustle and bustle. To help prevent burns, keep pot and pan handles turned in such a way that a child can’t pull them down on themselves.
• Give age appropriate gifts. Consider the number and size of pieces and parts of a gift and the recipient’s age when giving a present. Choking hazards are real and can be deadly.
Clearly, the bullet points above are but a few things that anyone can do to help cut down the risk of personal injury. Unfortunately, no one can completely safeguard against an unexpected injury but it is the sincere hope of our personal injury lawyers that each and every one of you have a safe and happy holiday season.
Contact a Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer:
If, despite your best efforts, you find you or a loved one has suffered and injury, contact one of our Des Moines personal injury attorneys today for a free consultation. We can be reached at 515.493.4878.
