Provide your personal lines clients with these Labor Day safety tips
Labor Day: the final back-to-school splash before autumn, school and winter finally kick in. The last three-day weekend to take the boat out, hit the pool or the beach, or drive away for a short vacation. And a good time to pass along a few Labor Day safety tips to your personal lines clients.
A few years back, Forbes rated Labor Day as the 2nd most dangerous holiday, just behind Thanksgiving. While we don’t want to throw a wet blanket over your holiday fun, we do want you and your clients to enjoy it – safely. So we’ve compiled just a few safety tips for you to keep in mind this holiday.
The National Safety Council is projecting 400 traffic fatalities for Labor Day weekend. They offer the following safe driving tips:
- Don’t drink and drive. Alcohol is responsible for 30.8 percent of traffic fatalities. Choose a responsible designated driver or call a taxi, Uber or Lyft.
- Keep within the speed limits. We know it’s hard – particularly headed home on Monday evening. However, speeding causes 30 percent of traffic fatalities. Leave early to discourage frustration and speeding.
- Be a distraction-free driver. Hands-free isn’t risk free, says the NSC. Distracted drivers cause 26 percent of traffic fatalities.
- Safety first. Wear your seat belt and ensure that children are in safety seats that match their age and size.
Plan to be on the water, boating, kayaking or sailing this weekend? Here are a few safety tips from the National Safe Boating Council:
- Stay sober when boating. An operator with a blood alcohol content about .08 (equivalent to consuming five beers in one hour for the average 180-lb. male) – is ten times more likely to die in a boating accident than an operator with zero blood alcohol level.
- Wear a life jacket. Recent U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that 90 percent of drowning victims were not wearing life jackets.
- Know navigation rules. Knowing what to do when meeting, crossing or over taking another boat can prevent costly damage to your boat, personal injury or even loss of life.
Enjoy your holiday weekend!