Thanksgiving is about spending time at home with your family and friends. Therefore, whether it be spending time inside eating and watching TV or going out it is important to be careful and be safe in this time.
The holidays cause people to travel, making it one of the busiest days of travel across the United States. Due to the massive increase of people on the road at one time, car crashes are the most common kind of injury to occur during Thanksgiving. The percentage of car crashes increase considerably with the dangerous weather as well. Thanksgiving happens during the colder times of the year and this can cause unfavorable road conditions. This can mean rain, sleet, or ice on the roads making driving a potentially fatal and dangerous situation.
The second most common thanksgiving injuries are slip and falls. Due to the weather this can occur in a multitude of situations. If you and your family have a tradition of going out to a restaurant to enjoy Thanksgiving it is possible you might slip or fall outside. If the restaurant or premise you are on fail to salt or put up signs in order to warn people of the dangerous conditions they could be liable for your injuries. Construction and uneven walk paths is often the most common cause of slip and fall accidents and the unfavorable weather can often worsen the situation. Slip and falls are very common accidents that can be prevented by increasing your awareness and being careful.
The third most common incident is alcohol and sleep related accidents. The holidays are a time for celebration and this can mean drinking alcohol. Impaired decisions are often an unfortunate side effect after drinking. This can mean if you are planning to drive after drinking the possibility of an accident increases exponentially. If you are planning on drinking delegate a designated driver who will ensure safe travel. Eating an immense of food is a common tradition during the holidays as well. Much like drinking drowsiness is a common looked over side effect of the holidays. Driving while drowsy is at times as bad or even worse than driving drunk. All in all, make sure that if you are planning to drive you are doing it safely and not putting yourself or others at risk
The fourth most common accident during Thanksgiving can happen before the celebration even begins. Cooking and preparing the Thanksgiving dinner can involve dangerous equipment like knives, turkey fryer, and ovens. Knives are often used for preparing dinner and can often result in fatal cuts if not handled with care. A common accident that occurs with turkey fryers is trying to fry a frozen turkey. If not prepared correctly and with caution the turkey can cause the hot oil to slowly build and eventually get out of the fryer. Much like the turkey fryer ovens can also cause burns which can result in permanent damage.
The fifth and final most common accident that occurs during Thanksgiving is food poisoning. Mishandling the turkey or other food items that need proper care can cause intense sickness. Food poisoning can be especially dangerous to some guests who are pregnant or older in age and can affect them with serious internal illness. If you are the one preparing the food that will be eaten take extra care and refrigerate, store, and prepare the food that will be consumed in the safest manner.
In conclusion, Thanksgiving is a time for celebration and happiness. In order to ensure that take the proper steps to avoid the common accidents that can occur this holiday season.
