Category: Personal Safety

1.  Plan your time off to include physical activity. Play with your children and grandchildren. Skate. Ski. Walk. Dance with or without the stars!

2.  Try not to isolate yourself. Be with people you trust and feel safe with, even if you feel down.

3.  Bring a smile to your face and others. Volunteer to help someone in need. Donate toys to children.

4.  After having one or two drinks with alcohol, have a non-alcoholic drink, such as fruit juice with sparkling water.

5.  Do not drink and drive. Designate a sober driver.

6.  Never leave fireplaces, space heaters, stoves, or candles unattended. Unplug the holiday decorations when you go to bed or leave the house.

7.  Trim the trimmings and number of treats you eat. Simplify decorations and gift buying and wrapping. Choose and request gift cards. Eat fruit to satisfy your sweet tooth. Give fruit baskets for gifts.

8.  Wash your hands before preparing food. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

9.  Do not over commit to holiday functions.

10. If you are going to travel, make a “To-Do” list and check it twice to plan for your health and safety needs.

*  Learn how to navigate and maintain your watercraft. The whole family should take a boating safety class.

*  Be sure your boat is equipped with safety and rescue gear. By law, you must have a personal flotation device (life jacket) for each person on board. And it’s a good idea for passengers of all ages, swimmers and nonswimmers alike, to wear them. Many adults who can swim are knocked unconscious, then fall overboard and drown because they’re not wearing a flotation device.

*  Don’t overload your boat. Know the passenger limit and stick to it.

*  Know your limits. Exposure to bright sunlight, heat, boat motion, vibration from a motor, and noise can leave you stressed and fatigued. After 4 hours on the water, your reaction time is considerably slower than when you started out. So allow plenty of time for maneuvers, keep your distance from other crafts, and head for shore before you get tired.

*  Pay attention to the weather. Head back to shore-or don’t go out-if a storm threatens.

*  Don’t drink and navigate. Drinking alcohol while boating reduces reaction time, dulls vision, and impairs judgment. As with autos, half of all boating accidents are alcohol-related. If you must drink, wait until the boat is docked.

*  Tell someone on shore where you’re headed and when you expect to return. If you’re delayed due to a storm or breakdown, they can send someone to rescue you.

*  If you’re towing a water-skier, the law requires that someone in the boat observes the person in tow.

*  If your boat capsizes, stay with it. Don’t try to swim to shore. You may overestimate your swimming skills.

*  Focus on the road when you are driving.

*  Don’t talk on a cell phone or text message while driving.

*  Always wear your seatbelt when you drive or ride in cars and trucks.

*  Wear a helmet when riding on a motorcycle or a bicycle.

*  Drive sober or with a driver who is.

*  Discuss, with your care team, if any medication or supplement you take can make it unsafe for you to drive.

*  Avoid driving at night if you have limited night vision.

*  Keep emergency supplies in your car or truck. These include:

– A cell phone

– A flashlight and flares

– Blankets

– Bottled water

*  Wear a medical alert tag to identify health concerns you have. Get one from a drug store or from: MedicAlert Foundation International at 1-888-633-4298 orwww.medicalert.org.

*  Keep medicines and vitamins in “child-safe” containers and where children cannot reach them.

*  Never be out of reach of a child in or near the water. Make sure children wear approved flotation devices. Adults should wear these, too.

*  Lock guns in one place and bullets in another. Make sure children cannot get the keys.

*  Outer layer or shell that is bright yellow, white, orange, or red (so motorists can see you more easily), and is constructed of hard plastic or polycarbonate.

*  Waterproof finish.

*  Stiff polystyrene lining.

*  Securely attached nylon strap and fastener.

*  A label signifying that the American Standards Institute or the Snell Memorial Foundation has certified the helmet as safe.

*  Choose a bike that’s right for your size. When seated, you should be able to put one foot on the ground without leaning the bike to one side or the other.

*  Brakes should be in good working order-that is, enabling you to stop within 15 feet while riding at 10 miles per hour.

*  Check tires for worn spots, punctures, or other signs of wear. Fix or repair, as needed.

*  By law, all bicycles must have red reflectors, visible for 500 feet, on the sides, rear, and pedals.

*  The bicycle should have headlights.

*  Rearview mirrors are optional, but helpful.

*  Obey all traffic laws, just as you would if you were driving a car. (Ride with traffic, not against it; observe traffic signs and signals; stay to the right; maintain a safe following distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you; and use hand signals for turning.)

*  Look behind you before turning or changing lanes.

*  Consider walking your bike across intersections not governed by traffic signals, especially if traffic is heavy.

*  Whenever possible, choose routes over smooth pavement.

*  Drive defensively, anticipating the actions of motorists, pedestrians, and other bikers.

*  Keep your eyes on the road. Watch for potholes, parked cars, and children or animals entering your path.

*  Pay attention. Don’t listen to a portable radio or tape player while riding.

*  Don’t B.W.I.-bike while intoxicated. It’s just as risky as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.