For most families, the kitchen is the heart of the home, especially during the holiday season. Gathering together with your loved ones and sharing a meal is something that can brighten the darkest of days. Many look forward to this gathering throughout the year, waiting in anticipation for the warmth of familiar faces and the reuniting of family. Though the upcoming holidays are a wonderful time of the year, they can also pose many dangers to both you and your family.
Thanksgiving is the leading day for cooking fires in the home, with three times as many cooking fires taking place than on an average day. According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) in 2013, Thanksgiving Day was the leading date for home cooking fires with 1,550, 230% above the average number of fires per day.
Although kitchen fires are a common Thanksgiving hazard, they are not the only one danger associated with the holiday. In 2015 AAA projected that at least 46.9 million people will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday, November 23 to Sunday, November 27
According to the most recent data available from NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, there were 764 crashes involving a fatality during Thanksgiving 2012. (About 400 of them involved motorists.)
There were nearly 50,000 non-fatal car accidents that Thanksgiving holiday, too. In many cases — too many, frankly — simple safety precautions would’ve saved lives. According to NHTSA, at least 40% of passengers killed that Thanksgiving were involved in crashes with drunk drivers, and about 60% of passengers weren’t wearing their safety belts.
So while Thanksgiving can be a wonderful time of the year filled with food, friends and family it can also be a time of the year where accident and risk is right around the corner. Here at Lord & Associates we want you to not only enjoy the holidays but to remain safe during them as well. Here are some tips from us to you on how to lower your chance of risk throughout the upcoming week and avoid any possible claims.
Kitchen Safety:
1. Never leave your food unattended while frying or grilling.
2. Use a timer and routinely check whatever you’re cooking.
3. If frying or deep-frying, keep the fryer outside, away from walls, and free from moisture.
4. Never use a glass casserole or lid on the stove or burner, as it may explode from the heat.
5. Ensure that pot holders and food wrappers are a safe distance— at least 3 feet!—from warmed surfaces (i.e. the stove).
6. Avoid dangling accessories or loose clothes around kitchen fires.
7. Never douse a grease fire with water, as the fire can thus spread. Turn off the burner, smother the flames with a lid (wearing an oven mitt!), or douse with baking soda or a fire extinguisher if it’s getting out of hand.
8. Keep a fire extinguisher handy in the kitchen, and know how to use it.
9. Ensure your smoke alarms are connected and working.
10. Unplug appliances that are small and unnecessary; it’s a smart way to save energy and eliminate potential dangers if something is accidently turned on.
Road Safety:
1. Buckle up, slow down, and don’t drive impaired.
2. Be well rested and alert.
3. Follow the rules of the road. They’re there for a reason!
4. Give your full attention to the road. Avoid distractions such as cell phones. NO TEXTING AND DRIVING!
5. Observe the speed limits – driving too fast or too slow can increase your chance of being in a collision.
6. Make frequent stops. During long trips, rotate drivers. If you’re too tired to drive, stop and get some rest.
7. Don’t follow another vehicle too closely.
8. Clean your headlights, taillights, signal lights and windows to help you see, especially at night.
9. Turn your headlights on as dusk approaches, or if you are using your windshield wipers due to inclement weather.
10. If you have car trouble, pull off the road as far as possible.
We hope you have a good and claim free Thanksgiving here from Lord & Associates!