Safety Articles

 Who does love the excitement of an awesome fireworks display? But fireworks related injuries remain high, turning many Fourth of July celebrations from fun and festive, to a trip to the emergency room. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging consumers to either leave fireworks to the professionals or take steps to celebrate safely when using consumer-grade fireworks.   

Distracted driving.  Anyone who drives is guilty of distracted driving.  Click the graphic above or the button below to learn more about distracted driving.

With the heat comes the potential of heat-related illnesses.  Click the picture above to learn more about hot weather and how to be safe during hot weather.

 High temperatures kill hundreds of people every year. Heat-related deaths and illness are preventable, yet approximately 1,220 people die from extreme heat every year in the United States. 

Teens look forward to the day they get their driver's license.  They may think they can handle drinking & driving.  Click the picture above to learn how to talk to your teen about how to be a responsible driver.

Car crashes are the leading cause of unintentional deaths for U.S. teenagers, but there’s plenty we can do to help keep them safe. Inexperience is the biggest issue for new drivers, and the best solution is to help them safely gain experience behind the wheel.  

DriveitHOME and Honda have teamed up to help parents, caregivers and instructors get involved during National Teen Driver Safety Week Oct. 15-21. 

Sign up now for free resources and make your plan to help your teen driver always get home safe.

 National Teen Driver Safety Week - National Safety Council (nsc.org) 

Too many people are experiencing suicidal crisis or mental health-related distress without the support and care they need, and sadly, the pandemic only made a bad situation worse when it comes to mental health and wellness in America.

There are urgent realities driving the need for crisis service transformation across our country. 

In 2021:

• The U.S. had one death by suicide about every 11 minutes
• For people aged 10–14 and 25–34 years, suicide was the second-leading cause of death
• Suicide rates increased significantly among non-Hispanic Black & American Indian and Alaska Native people
• Nearly 900,000 youth aged 12-17 and 1.7 million adults attempted suicide
• About 107,000 people died from drug overdoses

Yet, there is hope! The 988 Lifeline helps thousands of people struggling to overcome suicidal crises or mental health-related distress every day.

The fact is, an emergency or disaster can happen anytime and anywhere, with or without warning.  Are you prepared for an emergency or disaster? 

It takes more than police, fire, and EMS to respond to a disaster. It takes people who are committed to neighborhoods, churches, schools, and volunteer organizations, etc. When people are willing to work together for the good of others, communities are stronger.

People who are involved are key to a disaster resilient community. They are willing and able to look out for themselves and others. A resilient community is one that can withstand a disaster and get back to normal quickly (even if normal isn’t the same as it was before).

Remember, community preparedness starts at home. If you know that your family is prepared at home, you will be better able to help others in your community.