AAA offers holiday safety tips

Many Americans are ready to reunite with loved ones for the holidays. However, Thanksgiving and the year-end holidays can be a time filled with many potential hazards.

"Since safety is at the heart of what we do at AAA, we want to share a few important reminders to keep everyone safe throughout the holiday season," Meredith Mitts, spokesperson, AAA-The Auto Club Group. “The holidays can quickly turn tragic if you’re not careful. Whether you’re in the kitchen or behind the wheel, AAA urges you to be patient, avoid distractions and pay close attention to your surroundings.”

Home fires

Cooking is the leading cause of all residential building fires and injuries, and more home fires occur on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year. The number one cause of cooking fires is leaving the kitchen unattended – something that's easily avoided. A few key steps can keep you, your home, and your loved ones safe.

• Have someone on cooking duty at all times. If you have to leave, turn off cooking equipment first.

• Limit distractions by planning television time, video chats, chores, and other activities outside of meal preparation time.

• Smother grease fires with a metal lid or baking soda. Never use water. Make sure to turn off the heat first.

• If a fire starts in the oven, turn off the heat and keep the oven door closed.

• Everyone loves hanging out in the kitchen, which can lead to bumps, spills, and other injuries – especially when kids are involved. To minimize accidents and divert traffic, put snacks, games, and toys in another room.

• If you are sleepy or have consumed too much alcohol, step away from cooking and designate a "driver" to take the lead.

• Keep dish towels, oven mitts, paper products, and other flammable materials away from heat.

• Have a fully functional fire extinguisher handy for emergencies.

Potential holiday fire hazards are not isolated to the kitchen. Holiday lights, decorations and Christmas trees can greatly increase fire risk, if you’re not careful. AAA recommends checking your holiday lights for frayed wires, broken bulbs or loose connections and make sure your tree is not placed near the fireplace or another heat source.

Making sure you have the correct home or renters insurance can provide peace of mind as you are entertaining a lot over this holiday season. A good insurance agent will walk you through all your coverage options. We can help you find an agent you can trust at AAA.com/Insurance.

Theft

During this time of year, many holiday hazards also exist outside of the home. Another common hazard that occurs throughout the holiday season is theft. Around this time of year theft can come in many forms, including home break-ins, packages stolen from porches, vehicle thefts and even vehicles being broken into. If valuables, such as shopping bags and gifts, are left in plain sight it can be attractive to smash-and-grab burglars.

“When leaving your vehicle in a parking lot, make sure shopping bags and gifts are not visible through the car window,” added Mitts. “Putting your bags in the trunk or another place where they are not visible can help prevent vehicle break-ins.”

Traffic crashes

Busy parking lots and roadways are another holiday hazard. It’s important to be aware and focused while traveling through parking lots to help avoid collisions. Also, traffic on the roadways is more likely to increase during this time of year, whether it’s running holiday errands or traveling on the highway to visit family and loved ones. AAA recommends always limiting distractions when driving – especially important in heavy traffic or congested areas - and also check weather forecasts to be aware of any wintry weather that may occur.

Here are a few additional tips to help you avoid distractions out on the roadways:

• Put it away. Place your mobile device out of sight to prevent temptation.

• Know where you’re going. If using a navigation system, program the destination before driving.

• Ask passengers for help. If riding with someone, seek their help to navigate, make a call or send a message.

• Pull over. If you must call or text while on the road, pull off the road safely and stop first.

• Be a good passenger. Speak out if the driver of your vehicle is distracted.

• Activate Do Not Disturb. Setting up this feature on iPhone or Android device will prevent calls from coming in while you’re driving.

• Move Over. When you see flashing lights on the roadside, whether they are coming from a disabled passenger vehicle or a roadside responder, move over a lane to give them space whenever possible, and slow down if it is unsafe to change lanes. Visit AAA.com/SlowDownMoveOver for more information.