Staying Safe for the Holidays

DENVER (PRWEB) December 8, 2006

Signs of the season are here, in the form of snow, below-freezing temperatures and screenings of favorite holiday flicks, like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and Home Alone. While these movies evoke holiday cheer and stir up sentiments of generosity, they also point to how dangerous this time of year can be.

To keep everyone rocking around the Christmas tree or Hanukah bush, InsureMe.com, the leading online insurance shopping service, is reflecting upon the many safety lessons learned from the cinematic follies in these beloved holiday classics.

Nothing says winter like a day of sledding. And while it seems like a harmless enough winter activity, statistics show that between 30,000 and 35,000 children sustain sledding-related injuries each year. (No figures were available for the number of adults injured while trying to reclaim their youth.) But as long as you're not taking tips for Clark Griswold, star of Christmas Vacation, sledding doesn't have to be dangerous.

So before your children grease the bottom of their saucer with non-caloric silicon-based kitchen lubricant, arm them with the following sledding safety tips:

•     Dress in layers
•     Protect your head with a helmet
•     Use a sled with a steering mechanism
•     If you lose control, ditch the sled

It's also clear Griswold hasn't boned up on holiday fire statistics as he staples lights to his roof, crams an oversized Christmas tree into his living room (with a squirrel to boot), or covers every inch of his house in lights. Taking this into account, he's likely to cause one of the 11,600 annual holiday fires--caused by dried-out trees, lights and candles.

To keep from becoming a statistic, the U.S. Fire Association recommends the following:

•     Keep your (moderately-sized) tree good and watered
•     Check lights for exposed wires and frayed ends prior to hanging them
•     Don't connect more than the advised number of light strings together

Home Alone, another holiday-film staple, isn't as far-fetched as you might think. The holiday season sees a surge in both home burglaries and car theft. And while Home Alone protagonist, 9-year-old Kevin, schemes elaborate obstacle courses and stages a party using mannequins and life-sized Michael Jordan cut-outs, you can foil burglars with a few simple tips:

•     When going out, leave on some lights and the television, so your house looks and sounds occupied
•     Don't advertise your holiday swag--get rid of empty boxes rather than setting them by the curb for garbage pick-up
•     If you're going on vacation, invest in automatic light timers
•     Ask a neighbor to collect mail and newspapers while you're gone

So whether you're traveling this season or staying close to home, use these tips to err on the side of safety--and leave the holiday hijinks to your favorite film characters. For more safety tips, insurance news and a chuckle or two, check out our consumer insurance blog.

About InsureMe

InsureMe, an Englewood, Colorado-based company, links agents nationwide with people shopping for insurance. InsureMe has helped millions of people find insurance coverage; for more information, visit InsureMe.com. For more insurance shopping and saving tips, visit InsureMeBlog.com/Insurance.

###