Know the Risks to Protect Your Family: Top Thanksgiving Safety Tips To Learn
Thanksgiving is a major holiday in the United States. While there are many important holidays, Thanksgiving reaches nearly every American because it transcends all religions applying to everyone, it is a semester milestone in school, and it marks the start of the holiday shopping season.
This usually means more and more people will be out and about traveling to see family and friends, taking a short vacation, or going out shopping to get a head start on their gift list.
While this can bring many joys, it can also bring many increased risks of personal injury that everyone should be aware of to protect themselves and their family.
These risks include motor vehicle accidents, cooking accidents and fires, and even theft or robbery. While individuals in South Carolina can never eliminate these risks, they can help limit exposure and lessen the effects to protect themselves and their families.
Some of the most important tips for residents of Lancaster, South Carolina, and Indian Land, South Carolina include the following:
Thanksgiving Motor Vehicle Accident Safety
According to statistical studies by the National Safety Council, Thanksgiving is one of the most dangerous holidays for motor vehicle accidents. Studies measure the period from the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to the Sunday after and have found a statistically significant increase in motor vehicle accidents. South Carolina ranks the fourth worst of the most dangerous states for Thanksgiving accidents, with 1.44 fatal crashes per 100,000, behind only Mississippi, North Dakota, and Wyoming.
There are many reasons for the increase in Thanksgiving motor vehicle accidents. Some of the top reasons include the following:
- Drunk driving or drugged driving
- Distracted driving
- More congested roads
- Drowsy driving or driving while fatigued
- People traveling who may not normally drive and may be “out of practice.”
- Road rage and aggressive driving
- Weather-related issues, especially snow and ice, heavy rains, fog, or other dangerous weather patterns, and
- Many other common reasons.
When driving on the Thanksgiving holiday, always drive slow and courteously. Give yourself extra time and make sure you have not consumed any substances that may affect your ability to operate a motor vehicle, whether alcohol, drugs, or legal prescriptions, making it more dangerous to drive.
Know where you are going before you leave, becoming familiar with your destination on a map before you have to navigate traffic, weather, and other hazards to get there.
Cooking Accidents and Fires
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Thanksgiving is “the peak day for home cooking fires with more than three times the daily average for such incidents.” This includes an estimated 1,400 emergency fire department responses on Thanksgiving.
The risk for fire is evident in that Thanksgiving is a holiday of cooking on stoves and ovens. Hot surfaces for cooking can ignite towels, oven mitts, and other objects. There is also an increased risk of fires or explosions when frying a turkey, which has become more common in the last 5-10 years but can be extremely dangerous if not done correctly.
But besides the cooking causes of fires, there are also other hazards such as candles, bonfires, and fireplaces, which are common on Thanksgiving. These open flames are always a risk of serious injury, especially when children are running around who may be seriously injured in an accident.
Therefore, the best safety tips to avoid cooking accidents, fires, and burn injuries include the following:
- Never leave a cooking apparatus unwatched
- Always guard against open flames in the house, perhaps opting to avoid them if there are young children present
- Be wary of pets and open flames too
- Never fry a turkey inside the house or garage, and always at least 15 feet from any structure, preferably 25-30 ft
- Be careful of bonfires, fire pits, and fireplaces (even gas ones!) which could all pose a risk of burn injury or fire, and
- Always keep an eye on all cooking appliances, dishes, candles, fireplaces, and other objects which could result in a fire or burn injury.
Theft or Robbery
While motor vehicle accidents and fires are two of the most common causes of personal injuries, criminal activity can also result in serious personal injuries.
This mainly happens when individuals go out shopping and may be attacked or robbed for gifts they have just purchased. This is a huge risk on Black Friday, but also throughout the entire holiday season. In addition to this, home break-ins are common if criminals believe you may not be home for the holiday—although you may be.
Some Thanksgiving safety tips to minimize the risk of serious harm includes the following:
- Routinely put your bags into your vehicle, so you are not walking around and carrying a lot of shopping bags
- Hide shopping bags from expensive places inside of more generic bags or less-expensive stores
- Stay in groups of people and main, visible areas
- If you feel unsafe or that someone is following you ask security for help to your vehicle
- Keep exterior and interior lights on, whether or not you are home, on Thanksgiving and Black Friday
- Have a video doorbell, camera, or alarm system
- When in doubt, call the police for assistance, and
- Take other necessary precautions to protect you and your family.
Know These Important Thanksgiving Safety Tips to Protect You and Your Family
Although there is no way to avoid every type of serious personal injury accident altogether, these important Thanksgiving safety tips can help you and your family protect yourself by being aware of some increased risks during the holiday season in Lancaster, South Carolina, and Indian Land, South Carolina.
