Thanksgiving Safety Tips: Beware of DUI and Fire Accidents

Thanksgiving is one of the most beloved US holidays and with good reason. Although it was traditionally a harvest festival, it has devolved into a celebration to give thanks and show gratitude to God for the presence of family and friends as well as the blessings received that year.

Naturally, special occasions like Thanksgiving call for a lot of parties which means food and drinks in abundance. And while the holiday is joyous, it can also be a perfect time for more accidents to occur, especially because of alcoholic beverages and fire-related accidents.

Alcohol intoxication is always a problem in festivities where friends and family gather. Often, people fail to realize that they had one drink too many so by the time the party is over, they’re too drunk to drive. Some people unfortunately, insist on driving drunk so if you care about your friends and family, here’s something you should remember: Never let a loved one drive drunk even though they seem sober enough.

Always make sure you have a designated driver during occasions such as thanksgiving. This way, you can ensure someone will keep a clear head when it’s time to go home and your guests will be able to go home safely. If intake of alcoholic beverages is unavoidable, even for the designated driver, make sure you keep a number of a car company so you can call them in case a guest needs to go home.

DUI accidents are prevalent during the holidays, so in order to avoid injury or death on an occasion where people should be rejoicing instead of mourning, if you can’t keep your guests sober, just make sure they’re safe from drinking and driving by keeping a designated driver or a cab on standby.

Aside from alcohol-related incidents, fire accidents are frightfully common during Thanksgiving. The State Farm reported that more cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving than any other day in the Calendar. In fact, in the last five years more than 160 damage claims related to Thanksgiving cooking accidents have been reported. According to the National Fire Protection Association 57 civilian injuries per 1,000 reported home fires happened during thanksgiving.

To avoid fire accidents during thanksgiving, consider the following tips:

• Install a fire detector in the kitchen
• Don't leave the kitchen while frying and grilling
• When deep frying a turkey, keep the fryer away from moisture and take it outside, away from walls, fences and other structures
• Keep flammable objects such as food wrappers at least 3 feet away from the stove or other hot surfaces
• Kids should also be supervised and not allowed near the fires in the kitchen
• Avoid loose clothes while cooking

In the event that you followed all of the tips mentioned above, but you or a loved one was hurt in an accident through no fault of your own, consider talking to an accident injury attorney to help you recover compensation or relief for your injury or loss.