The holiday season is a fun and hectic time for many people. Office parties, family gatherings, and festive traditions make the holiday season busy. Oftentimes, this busyness results in cutting corners when it comes to safety. No matter how busy you are during the holidays, it is important to focus on your family’s safety above everything else. Following holiday safety tips is a good start to keeping the season merry and bright this year.

There are many injury accidents during the holiday season. From putting up decorations to drunk driving crashes, these accidents can result in lifelong disability, pain, and suffering. In order to stay safe this holiday season, consider following these safety tips.

Decoration Safety

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), decorations cause 1,200 injuries every year. Taking down ornaments, putting up Christmas lights, and wrapping gifts can lead to injury accidents. Sadly, many of these injuries happened to small children. In addition, Christmas trees are the cause of more than 200 fires a season. These holiday fires resulted in more than $16.2 million in property damage. To avoid decoration-related accidents, follow these holiday safety tips:

1. Take Care of Your Tree. If you buy a live Christmas tree, choose a tree that is fresh and not dry. Once you get your tree home, place it in a spot away from a heating source. Twenty-five percent of all fires are due to trees placed near fireplaces, radiators, or heating vents. Make sure to take care of your tree and water it every day.
2. Be Careful Hanging Lights. When you string lights on the outside of your home, be sure you have enough outlets for safety. It is important to follow the instructions carefully and avoid stringing too many lights together. When hanging lights, use a proper ladder, and have another person secure that ladder.
3. Avoid Christmas Candles. Open flames may be pretty, but they are dangerous. Consider using flameless candles for decorations in your home. A study by the National Fire Protection Association found that candles caused 52 percent of decoration-related fires.

Cooking Safety

Cooking during the holidays may be fun, but it can be a recipe for disaster. Home fires and other injuries often occur because of carelessness in the kitchen. To avoid serious injury, consider following these holiday cooking tips.

4. Mop Up Slippery Messes Quickly. Spills in the kitchen can lead to serious slip and fall accidents. These accidents can result in significant head injuries, fractures, and lacerations. Always mop up spills quickly to avoid serious injury.
5. Never Leave a Stove Unattended. Unattended cooking equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires. Always stay in the kitchen when you have items on the stove or in the oven. Be sure to turn off the stove or hot pots when not in use.
6. Have a Working Fire Extinguisher Handy. When cooking during the holidays, it is important to have a working fire extinguisher handy in case a fire breaks out. Be sure your fire extinguisher has not expired and that you can grab it at a moment’s notice.

Travel Safety

Every holiday season, hundreds of people die in drunk driving accidents. In fact, in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, an average of 300 people lose their lives in fatal drunk driving crashes. To avoid serious car accidents this season, consider these holiday travel tips.

7. Drive Cautiously. Be careful at night and during inclement weather. When there is snow or ice on the road, give yourself more time to maneuver out of harm’s way. Go slowly and avoid speeding. If a road is slippery or icy, never use cruise control.
8. Designate a Sober Driver. No matter what, never drink and drive. Always designate a sober driver to help you arrive alive. When you drink and drive, you put yourself and others in danger. If you do not have a sober driver, call an Uber or Lyft to get home safely.
9. Plan Ahead. Whenever possible, avoid driving in bad weather during the holidays. If you must drive during bad weather, plan your route carefully. Always let others know where you will be traveling and give yourself plenty of time to get there safely.

Contact Our Oak Creek Car Accident Lawyers

After a serious injury accident this holiday season, you deserve compensation for your injuries. Yet, insurance companies are not always willing to play fair. That’s why our Oak Creek injury law firm fights for car accident victims. To learn more about your legal options, call us at 414-856-4010 or fill out our confidential contact form. We are ready to help you through this difficult time, so call today!