Safety Is for Everyone

There’s no better time to remind your family members of important safety tips than National Safety Month. Whether you’ve got little kids in the house, teenagers who are new to the road, or adults and aging parents who just need refreshers, we’ve got you covered on the best safety tips that will protect you and your family year-round.

As the summer months roll around, your kids are probably eager to get outside, whether that’s playing with neighborhood friends, riding bikes, or going for a swim. Be sure to remind your children to always be safe and mindful of their surroundings as they go out to play. 

Remind your children to be wary of any strangers when touring the neighborhood and never to approach a person or vehicle they do not know. When riding bikes, make sure your child not only wears a helmet, but they have one that’s the right size, too. And while going for a swim in the heat of summer may sound like a good idea, even seasoned swim pros can be at risk for drowning. Practice good swim safety by watching where you dive, using a lifejacket or other floatation device if necessary, and learning CPR in case you ever need it.

If you’ve got a teenager in the house, especially one who’s working toward their driver’s license, road safety is probably at the forefront of your mind. It can be scary to unleash your teenager on the world as a new driver, but there are plenty of safe driving tips that will help protect them when you aren’t there in the passenger seat to guide them. 

Put away distractions. Tell your teens to stick their phone in the glove compartment or in a cupholder out of reach so they won’t risk messing with it while on the road. 

Get a mount for your dash. If your teen is reliant on a phone for GPS, get a special holder you can mount on your dashboard to keep their GPS usage hands-free while driving. 

Get educated. Driver’s education courses can be incredibly helpful for getting teenagers used to navigating the road and understanding the many signs they’ll encounter while driving.

We may think as adults that we have it all figured out when it comes to being safe, but we can use plenty of refreshers, too. For example, we may be so wrapped up in making sure our kids are safe online that we forget to protect ourselves, too. Watch out for sites that may contain malware, or malicious software, and if the site doesn’t appear trustworthy, it’s best to turn back. 

Be on the lookout for people trying to take your personal information, as well. If an online site asks for additional info that just doesn’t seem right, chances are it’s a scammer trying to get access to your bank account or other private information. Scam calls and texts have only gotten more sophisticated with advancing technology, which means a text that seems familiar and friendly could be a stranger with bad intentions. 

Another big part of being safe means looking after your body and mind, which can include preventive care. There are plenty of preventive screenings you can (and should) look into that will help you better understand your body and how to take care of it, and screenings can also show you where you might have some health concerns. Hancock Health can help you schedule these screenings today and get you started on the right foot as we head into summer.