Enjoy Canada Day By Heeding a Few Tips To Keep It Safe

#AskKevinButler

The celebration of the nation’s 150^th birthday promises to make this year’s Canada Day even more festive than usual with public events scheduled throughout the province of Ontario. Take a moment to review a few safety tips to help you enjoy the festivities and events while keeping yourself and others around you safe.

Fireworks are great fun, but they can be dangerous

Fireworks play a very loud and visually spectacular role in holiday festivities in most Ontario communities. Make sure your Canada Day does not end with a trip to the emergency department of a hospital. Fireworks are powerful explosive devices and should be treated accordingly by following a few safety guidelines:

• Fireworks should be purchased from reliable sources and used according to directions found on their labels.
• Do not allow children to play with fireworks.
• Fireworks should only be ignited by adults. Children should never be allowed to light fireworks or sparklers.
• Never ignite fireworks that are being held by you or by another person. Fireworks should be secured prior to lighting by burying up to half of their length in sand or earth.
• A source of water, such as a hose connected to a spigot or a bucket filled with water, should be within reach.
• Do not attempt to relight fireworks that failed to go off.
• Sparklers should not be handled even after they go out because they continue to remain hot and capable of causing burns. Immerse used sparklers in water or allow them to cool before disposing of them.
• Do not toss or point fireworks at other people.
• Do not ignite any type of fireworks while they are in glass or other containers that can explode and cause injuries from flying debris.

The way to avoid most of the dangers associated with fireworks while still enjoying the displays is to leave the job to professionals. There are many fireworks displays available to the public throughout the province in celebration of the holiday.

Staying safe on congested roads this Canada Day

No matter whether you are getting away for the long weekend or traveling to any of the many events and festivities going on around town, holiday driving requires extra caution to avoid accidents. Here are a few tips to keep you and your passengers safe on the road: 

• Make sure everyone is buckled up before you take off.
• Stay alert while driving and avoid distractions caused by cellphones, GPS devices and even the kids in the backseat.
• If you are tired, pull over and rest. Fatigue is a factor in 21 percent of highway accidents according to the Canada Safety Council.
• If you are heading off to the lake and towing a boat on a trailer, make sure you know how to handle your vehicle. The added weight of a trailer means your vehicle will take longer to stop. Make sure you leave enough space between your vehicle and other vehicles.
• Keep in mind that a trailer reduces your ability to see behind you and requires additional space when changing lanes. Adjust your mirrors for better visibility.
• Don’t drink and drive. Even one drink can impair your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle, and impaired driving is a criminal offence. Have a plan for getting home in the event you cannot drive. If traveling with other people, ask one of them to be the designated driver who agrees to abstain from drinking alcohol.

Getting help when accidents happen

Enjoy the Canada Day festivities, but know that when accidents happen, the personal injury lawyers at Diamond and Diamond provide experienced legal advice and superiorrepresentation for victims and their families.Call our 24/7 personal injury hotline at 1-800-567-HURT or visit our website to speak to one of our team members. We offer free consultations and case evaluations and have offices throughout Ontario.