Those preparing for the holidays in San Antonio need to go over their budgets and start planning travel early. People often focus so much on finances and the details of their holiday celebrations that they overlook the possibility of sustaining a holiday injury.
Statistically, the holidays result in a significant increase in certain types of risks. Some people end up hurt, and occasionally people die because of common risk factors that become more pronounced during the holiday season. Celebrating should still be the main priority, but people may want to adjust their conduct somewhat to reflect the possibility of injury or death marring their holiday celebrations. To start, consider these top often overlooked risks that increase during the holiday season.
Drunk driving crashes
For many families, holiday celebrations are synonymous with alcohol consumption. People may drink beer while watching football games or have a special holiday cocktail they share with their loved ones. More alcohol consumption combined with same-day road travel means that the holidays often see a significant increase in drunk driving deaths when compared with other days of the year.
Dangerous conditions at people’s homes
It is common for parents and grandparents to host holiday celebrations, but they may not engage in proper maintenance of their residences throughout the year. When people come to visit, they might be at significant risk of injury. Loose handrails, damaged flooring and a variety of other issues with someone’s home could lead to people getting hurt during their holiday visits.
Unsafe retail establishments
The holidays tend to see a massive uptick in shopping. Most people understand that Black Friday or the day after Thanksgiving is a very dangerous day to visit retail establishments. Historically, there have even been fatalities due to people getting crushed in the rush to enter stores. The high volume of people throughout the holiday shopping season at retail establishments will often mean that workers have more tasks to fulfill than time. Cleaning and maintenance will often take a backseat to helping customers and running a cash register. People could easily slip and fall in an unclean spill or have poorly stocked merchandise fall on them from shelving units.
Exposure to defective products
Friends, employers and family members are often eager to buy exciting gifts, which might mean purchasing something that has just reached the retail market. Popular holiday purchases can potentially cause injuries or worse. For example, hoverboards have been massively popular in recent years, and they caused fatal house fires in some cases.
Being aware of the risk factors that can compromise people’s safety around the holidays in the San Antonio area may help people plan safer celebrations for themselves and the people they love.