Safety Tips For Careful Homeowners and Drivers - Fall 2007

• More than three of every ten 16 year old drivers will be in a serious crash (34%).
• Almost one of every five 17 year olds will be in a serious crash (18%).
• More than one of every ten 18 year olds will be in a serious crash (14%).

Source: Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles brochure "Your New Driver." The statistics are based on 2004 data.

Four Ways Parents Can Influence Teenage Driver Safety

• Understand that driver training starts much younger than 16.
  Children see driving habits of those around them early on. Often they put these practices into place when it is their turn to get behind the wheel. Reinforce good driving habits by example.
• Maintain strong lines of communication on "family rules of the road."
  Make sure your teenager understands your expectations about safe driving, i.e., speed; use of alcohol and drugs; use of a cell phone, the radio and other distractions; and obeying state laws on Junior Operator time and passenger restrictions. Support them with incentives. Be firm about disincentives.
• Promote defensive driving repeatedly.
  Keep reinforcing the need to "watch out for what the other guy may do."
• Consider an Advanced Driver Training program.
  One program, endorsed by all of our personal automobile carriers, claims that its intensive four-hour session has reduced crashes by first and second year drivers (course completers) by 70%. This course is offered by InControl ADT as a half day program performed at Weymouth Naval Air Station and other locations in Massachusetts. For more info, visit their Web site at www.InControlADT.com.

With cool fall days and cold winter nights on the way, now is a good time to share some thoughts about a subject that causes concern every year for our local fire departments: safe installation and operation of woodstoves and fireplaces.

• If you've recently brought a new stove or a used stove, it is a good idea to have the local fire department inspect its installation.
• Make sure that your chimney is clean and in good condition before using your woodstove (or fireplace) this season.
• Make frequent checks of your stovepipe and chimney for the buildup of creosote; clean when the buildup is over one-quarter inch.
• Never use a flammable liquid to start a fire and make sure there is no flammable liquid in the same room when your stove is in operation.
• Use only properly cured and seasoned firewood.
• Use a metal container with a tight-fitting lid for ash disposal; dispose of ashes after they have cooled.
• Keep children away from the stove.
• Have an exit plan in place in case of emergency.

Odorless, tasteless, invisible carbon monoxide (CO) results in hundred of fatalities every year. Yet its causes and detection remain a mystery to many people.

How is carbon monoxide produced? By the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels: gas, oil, coal and wood used in boilers, engines, oil burners, gas fires, water heaters, solid fuel appliances and open fires.

How does it accumulate? Several ways. It can accumulate in serious concentrations as a result of poor installation, poor maintenance or failure/damage to an appliance in use, when the fuel is not burned properly, or when the room is poorly ventilated and CO cannot escape.

What are the effects? Depending on concentration in the air, CO produces a range of physiological effects ranging from slight headache to dizziness, nausea and convulsions to permanent neurological damage or death.

What can be done to prevent CO buildup? 1) Check the flame color your appliances; if it's orange, call your service company immediately. 2) Never use a gas or charcoal grill indoors. 3) Have your furnace or gas water heater serviced yearly by a trained specialist. 4) Make sure your home and garage have adequate ventilation, especially when your car is running. 5) And remember, in Massachusetts, ALL homes must be equipped with CO detectors. It's the law!

FOR MORE INFORMATION on ways to guard against CO poisoning, go to www.carbonmonoxidekills.com.

Wintertime Safe Driving Tips

• Charge it! According to Triple A, your battery loses about 60 percent of its strength at zero degrees; at 32 degrees, 35 percent. Keep battery terminals clean, check your battery strength regularly.

• Don't drive a snow-covered car. You're inviting a crash if your windshield, windows, side view mirrors, wipers or headlights and tail lights are covered with the white stuff or iced-up.
• Remove snow from your license plate. It must be displayed clearly at all times. It's the law.
• Maintain a safe driving distance, in traffic and on the open road. The recommended normal open road distance is the distance your car travels when you count "1000", "2000". Double or triple that count during inclement weather conditions.
• Be careful when you park. If your tailpipe becomes blocked by a snow bank, you could risk carbon monoxide poisoning when you go to warm up your car.
• Keep a spare car key on your person. You'll avoid the frustration, safety problems, and expense caused by a lockout. You also might want to carry a small canister of chemical lock de-icer in your briefcase or handbag.
• Be able to communicate. It's a good idea to have a cell phone with you, especially on dark winter nights and mornings.

Winter Home Safety Reminders

• Prevent roof collapse. Keep flat portions of your roof clear of the weight of snow.

• A fire-resistant hearth rug for your fireplace is a good idea!
• Check the working condition of your smoke and CO detectors. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends checks at least once a quarter, especially for battery-operated units.
• Protect yourself against personal liability by making sure that your walk and steps are kept cleared of snow and ice and are well salted or sanded.
• Remember, you must shovel a path to your mailbox to ensure delivery of your mail.

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Archived Safety Tips

• Spring 2007