post

Have a Happy—and Safe—Holiday Season

Holiday Safety Tips

The holidays are fast approaching, and with them the fun and excitement of getting together with family, traveling, exchanging gifts, and enjoying special holiday traditions. Unfortunately, the holiday season can also be one of increased risks, whether of fire, theft, or accident. Here are some holiday safety reminders from your friends at L & M Insurance Group:

Decorate safely

  • Live trees are beautiful, but they can also be fire hazards. Water your tree regularly so it doesn’t dry out, and keep open flames away from it. Also be sure to check Christmas lights for frayed or exposed wires that could spark and start a fire.
  • Keep fragile, breakable ornaments securely fastened at the top of the tree and out of reach of children and pets.
  • If you decorate with candles, snuff them out before you go to bed or leave the house (and turn off flameless candles, too). Don’t leave them burning unattended where children or pets could burn themselves or knock them over.
  • Be cautious when decorating up high—use a ladder, not a chair or other piece of furniture. You’ll be less likely to fall.

Foil thieves

  • Don’t give thieves the gift of easy access to your holiday purchases. Help avoid a car break-in by keeping purchases locked in your trunk or where no one can see them. Lock car doors, keep windows rolled up, and park in a well-lighted area.
  • Be alert when shopping in a crowd. Don’t carry a lot of cash, keep your purse close to your body, or carry your wallet in a front pocket.
  • If no one is home and you’re expecting delivery of holiday packages, keep them safe from “porch pirates” by seeing if you can have packages delivered to you at work, or by arranging for the post office to hold them.
  • After the holidays, don’t advertise the new gifts in your home. Dispose of boxes and other packaging discreetly.
  • If you plan to travel, don’t announce your plans beforehand on social media. Stop your mail and newspaper, and set up lights on timers so your home looks occupied. Ask a neighbor to keep an eye on things.

Drive carefully

  • Holiday traffic can be busier than usual, and drivers may also be more distracted. Be extra careful, and remind your teen driver to do the same. Remember to buckle seat belts, put aside cell phones, and pay full attention to the road.
  • If you plan to drink alcohol at a holiday party, designate a driver beforehand, or use a taxi or car service to bring you safely home.

Remember your pets

  • Holidays can be stressful for pets. Provide a safe, quiet place for them to retreat if the holiday festivities become too much for them.
  • Also avoid bringing toxic plants such as mistletoe, holly, lilies, or amaryllis into your home.
  • Don’t give them “people food,” and make sure any holiday chocolate is kept out of reach—chocolate is toxic to cats and dogs.

With a little thought and preparation, you can avoid potential holiday mishaps. We hope you have a very happy—and safe—holiday season!

And remember, we are here to help with any of your insurance needs. Just give us a call at 813-672-4100.

Avoid These Thanksgiving Dangers

What do you think of when you think of Thanksgiving? Happy times spent with family, a delicious meal, maybe a football game on TV? You probably don’t picture putting out a fire in your kitchen or a trip to the emergency room! Unfortunately, too many people experience those events on Thanksgiving. In fact, Thanksgiving is one of the most dangerous holidays of the year!

Since we want all our clients to be happy and healthy through the entire holiday season. L & M Insurance Group would like to offer some tips to help you avoid the most common Thanksgiving dangers:

Fire

Thanksgiving is the number one day for home cooking fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). We know with family around it’s easy to get distracted, so remember to closely monitor food cooking on the stove, and never leave your house with the turkey in the oven. Move anything flammable, such as kitchen towels or oven mitts, away from the stove, make sure all your smoke alarms are working, and have a fire extinguisher handy. Keep small children out of the kitchen when active cooking is taking place.

And don’t even think about deep-frying a turkey! It’s such risky business that the NFPA strongly discourages the practice.

Lit candles are another fire hazard to be aware of during the holiday season. Make sure they are at least three feet from anything that could catch fire, and never leave children unattended in a room where candles are burning.

Illness

Improper preparation and storage of your Thanksgiving turkey can result in serious illness, such as Salmonella poisoning or Listeria. Make sure turkey is thawed completely before cooking, and cook until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit on a food thermometer. Remember to refrigerate leftovers promptly after the meal.

And it’s not just the turkey you should be careful with. Raw fruits and vegetables can also make you sick if they’re not washed thoroughly before you eat them.

Car Accident

With many thousands of people going “over the river and through the woods” to their Thanksgiving destinations, chances of car accident are much greater than normal. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), Thanksgiving is the third most dangerous holiday for driving, behind Independence Day and Memorial Day. In 2015, 386 people died in car accidents during the Wednesday-to-Sunday period of the Thanksgiving holiday, and the NSC estimated more than 50,000 more drivers and passengers were injured. Sadly, many of these accidents are due to driving while under the influence of alcohol. Obviously you should never drink and drive, but we also encourage you to use extra caution to avoid other drivers who might not be so responsible. In addition, make sure everyone in the vehicle wears a seat belt, and put aside your phone or other devices so your attention is fully on your driving.

We at L & M Insurance Group wish you a happy, healthy and SAFE Thanksgiving! As always, thank you for your business. Please feel free to call us at 813-672-4100, or contact us, if you have any questions about your insurance needs.