By Staff
Our view
At the end of the year there are so many things that need to be done that it is easy to lose sight of the most important thing of all, staying safe.
We are trying to rush from one appointment to another or from home to home of family and friends. We need just one thing from the grocer's, time is short, hurry, hurry, hurry.
But the things that we are going to distract us from paying attention to our surroundings, to traffic, to pedestrians. And it only takes a moment for tragedy to strike. That moment will last a lifetime, because serious traffic accidents, striking a pedestrian or being mugged while at a teller machine will have impacts that last forever. These are things from which we never recover.
So in keeping with that, remember to attend to the small details.
Fasten seat belts. Use child safety seats. Make children wear helmets while riding bicycles, four wheelers, or using skate boards.
Obey speed limits. Never drink and drive and don't ride with anyone who has been drinking. Teach your children to do the same.
Did someone in the family get a new weapon for a holiday gift?
Make sure they know how to use it safely and properly. There are classes in hunter safety easily available. Often they are inexpensive or free.
When shopping, dining out or banking after hours, make sure to pay attention to your surroundings.
Park in well lit areas. Place packages in the trunk of the car or cover them. If you feel you are being watched or followed, go to a populated, well-lit area.
If you experience car trouble, stay in the vehicle and use a cell phone to call for help. If another motorist stops and offers help, ask them to call police or a wrecker.
Even consider limping the vehicle along the shoulder of the roadway to the next exit.
It may ruin the tire or the wheel, but what is the cost of a replacement part when compared to being struck by another vehicle, abducted or robbed while changing a tire?
Most of all, use all your senses in staying safe. The most important thing you can do for your family is to be there for them and help keep them safe, too.