Tag Archives: lock doors

General Safety Issues

SAFETY ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN YOUR CAR BREAKS DOWN (GUEST POST)

It’s a scenario guaranteed to ruin your day. You’re driving down the highway, and all of a sudden your car stops working properly. Maybe you’ve got a blow-out, maybe it’s a broken belt, or maybe you have no idea what the problem is. Whatever the situation, when your car breaks down, you have to do some quick thinking to keep yourself safe.  However you intend to get help, there is a smart way to stay off the road and make sure nothing worse happens to you while you wait for a tow truck to arrive.  AAA estimates that over 1 million people are stranded on the highway during the summer months, with the number increasing to nearly 5 million in the winter.  Chances are, you will experience a breakdown at some point during the life of your car, so it pays to know the right steps to take.

Move Your Car off the Road

It’s very rare for your car to simply die in an instant. Most of the time you’ll be able to maneuver it to the side of the highway. If you’re traveling on surface streets and your engine shuts off at a stoplight, most of the time you can get a little more juice out of the  battery if you keep trying to restart it. As soon as you know there’s a problem, you should turn on your hazard lights, especially if you can’t move the car right away. Don’t get out of the vehicle in the middle of traffic. Remember that pedestrian fatalities make up nearly 15 percent of car crash deaths in the United States, many from situations where they tried to navigate busy streets and highways.

Be Wary of Strangers

After you’ve called for help, using OnStar or AAA or some other method, it’s a safe idea to keep your hazard lights on and even open the hood so that other drivers will know you’re having car trouble. But be careful with those who stop to help, especially if you’re traveling alone.  It’s always a good idea to stay in the car with the doors locked and simply tell them that help is on the way. For your safety, you should never leave your car, unless you know exactly where you are and how to reach a public place in a short amount of time.   Criminals can often target the drivers of broken-down vehicles, so it’s important you keep a cell phone on you at all times, and if it’s late at night, don’t hesitate to call the police. A patrol officer can find you and wait with you until the tow truck comes.

Don’t Try and Repair the Car

You might be familiar with car engines, but the chances are slim that you’ll be able to repair the problem without any tools or parts. And if you’re not sure what’s going on, there’s a chance you could damage the engine or make the situation worse. If your tire blows and you know how to put the spare on, be very careful. The tire could be on the side of the road that’s nearer to traffic, which makes trying to change it with cars speeding by at upwards of 70 miles per hour very dangerous. If you’ve never changed a tire before, you shouldn’t attempt it. It might seem possible to save time and hassle by doing things yourself instead of calling for roadside assistance, but actually the opposite is true.

Know Your Location

Many people break down on the highway during a road trip or can’t pinpoint their exact location for whatever reason. That’s why it’s important to always keep in mind what highway you’re on and which exits you have passed, and any signs that tell you which exits are coming up or how far you might be from the next town. If you have OnStar, they will be able to pinpoint your location, but many people don’t have access to that technology. So when you call for help, you have to be prepared to identify landmarks and estimate how long it has been since you left the house or got on the freeway. If you’re near a mile marker or a phone box, it can be easier for authorities to locate you in an emergency.

Experiencing a break down can be really scary, especially if you’ve never been through one before. The best way to handle any emergency is to be prepared before it happens, and if you have a realistic plan for what to do if you’re stranded on the highway, it’s a lot less likely that your safety will be in jeopardy. Stay calm and use common sense, and you can help protect yourself on the road and off of it.

Amy Thomson blogs for  Monkey Car Insurance.  Check out  her other articles at Twitter @VroomVroomAmy .

General Safety Issues

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR HOME FROM THE INSIDE OUT (GUEST POST)

Protecting Your Home From the Inside Out

It becomes more evident every day that the world can be an unstable place. The uncertainty of tomorrow can be frightening, but there are many measures you can take to improve the safety conditions of your life. There are many unfortunate events that could happen around your home, but taking the right precautions can help to keep you and your family as safe as possible.

Keep All Weapons Locked Away Safely

The number of accidents caused from inside the home due to improperly stored weapons is unnecessarily high and growing every day. If you are a gun owner, it would be wise to consider investing in a gun locker, especially if there are children around. Locking up your weapons securely and safely can help to eliminate the chance of them falling into the wrong hands, and many safety experts also recommend keeping the keys on you at all times as well as locking up the ammunition separate from the weapon.

Reduce Fire Hazards in the Home

Home fires can be devastating and extremely dangerous, but fortunately, fires are another type of accident that can be prevented when the right precautions are taken. First off, clear any dust around heat vents and electrical outlets as dust can clog outlets and combust with the right amount of heat. It’s very important to keep your electrical outlets up to date as well; if the outlets have trouble holding a cord in their socket, it’s time to replace them. Also, make sure to keep an eye on the cords of your electrical appliances, and stop using them once they become frayed or thin. 

Never turn your back when you’re cooking something on the stove or in the toaster, and always double check to make sure the oven has been turned off.

Avoid placing something flammable near a flame. Candles should never be near any fabric, and it’s a good idea to blow out a candle if you’re planning on leaving the room for more than a few minutes. If you’re a smoker, always make sure that you put your cigarette completely out before leaving it unattended.

Keep All Entries Locked

This one might seem obvious, but it’s amazing how many people leave their doors unlocked even while they’re away. Don’t allow intruders to have easy access to anything. Make sure all doors, garages, and windows (windows are the easiest to forget) are shut and locked, and always double-check that everything is sealed up before you leave the house or go to bed. Also, use two locks on each door to prevent lock picking.

Secure Your Home with Lights

No criminal wants to be in the spotlight when committing any illegal acts. If you surround your home with bright LED lights, you are at least making a statement to any future intruders that you have taken a precaution to eliminate their ability to blend into the night. Motion sensory lights are a cost effective form of home security due to the fact that they do not stay on all night and run up your energy bill like other outdoor lights.

Leaving on a visible house light is a common practice to make it look like there is someone home. To save on the electric bill, you might want to consider purchasing an electronic timer that can turn your lights on and off automatically after being set to a certain time. This will save you money and make it more believable that someone is inside.

Invest in a Home Alarm System

Home alarm systems don’t mean what they used to; they don’t have to involve complex wiring through your walls. In fact, there are many fairly priced and easy-to-use wireless home alarm systems out there that can fit any budget or home. A more advanced system would clearly be the best bet, but any alarm system in your price range would help to tighten the security of your home.

Create a buddy system with your neighbors

Creating good bonds with your neighbors is great for security strength. When you know the people in the homes around you, they are more likely to notice suspicious activity and are more likely to let you know if they see something questionable.

Install a mail slot in your door

This is a good way to prevent mail and identity theft. Mail boxes are wide open, and anybody could walk by and open up your mailbox. With a private slot, your mail goes right into your (hopefully) locked door.

Home is where the heart is; it’s also where your family and valuables are. There are many ways to tighten the security of your home, so you can keep it a place where comfort and safety are felt and good memories flourish.

James Anderson is a sports enthusiast, survivalist and blogger born and raised in West Virginia. He writes about secure storage for school lockers.