The clocks have been changed, and now you’re getting ready for the holiday season. Soon you’ll be busy shopping, baking, decorating, gifting, celebrating, wrapping, and hanging lights. Sometimes it can feel like there’s no time to squeeze any other “-ings” in to your busy schedule.
All of this rushing around can cause you to forget what you already know—that it’s easy to prevent serious injuries. Easier, in fact, than picking out a gift for that fussy relative. Certain injuries can happen more often during this time of year: falls from ladders, burns and scalds from hot liquids, even car crashes. In fact, December is the month with the highest number of motor vehicle crashes in BC.1 That makes sense, if you think about it: December means rainy and snowy weather, darker nights, and busy parking lots, increasing your risk of getting into a crash.
If you do add something to your busy schedule this holiday season, make it a daily reminder of the simple things you can do to avoid a serious preventable injury. These include: wearing a helmet when shredding that black diamond, volunteering to be the designated driver, putting your phone in the glove compartment, not overloading the electrical outlets, getting down and moving the ladder over, or putting the tube socks back on the shelf (she won’t like them).
Having a restful and festive holiday season, free from injury, is up to you. Let’s keep it preventable.
Sources:
ICBC (December 20, 2023). “ICBC urges drivers to use caution over the holidays as crashes peak in December.” Available from https://www.icbc.com/about-icbc/newsroom/2023-dec20-holiday-safety
ICBC (December 9, 2024). “ICBC: Survey finds B.C. drivers are stressed and nervous navigating busy parking lots.” Available https://www.icbc.com/about-icbc/newsroom/2024-dec-09-icbc-survey-parking-lots