Halloween Safety Checklist

Getting ready for trick-or-treating in Traverse City tonight (which officially runs from 5pm-8pm)? Consider reviewing the following safety checklist with your little ghosts and goblins:

• Consider visiting houses during late afternoon when it’s light out — but first ask neighbors if they’ll be home and ready for little guests.
• Give your child a flashlight with new batteries.
• If your child is 12 or under, accompany her and label her clothing with your name, address, and phone number in case you become separated.
• If your child is older than 12, make sure he knows his phone number and either has a cell phone (with your contact numbers clearly labeled on it) or enough change to call you from a pay phone.
• Establish an agreed-upon route and curfew for children over age 12.
• Teach your child to trick-or-treat only at homes with outside lights that are turned on and to never enter anyone’s home unless accompanied by an adult.
• Remind your child to walk — never run — while trick-or-treating and to stop at street corners and driveways before proceeding.
• Instruct your child to look left, right, and left again before crossing the street and to continue looking both ways as he crosses.
• Teach your child to stay on sidewalks at all times and to avoid cutting through people’s yards, where clotheslines and other hazards are hard to spot.
• Remind your child to wait until you’ve inspected her treats before eating them. Discard anything that’s not completely wrapped.
• If your child is allergic to nuts, check all treats carefully before allowing him to eat any.
• Remember to not allow children under 4 to eat popcorn or hard candy, both of which are choking hazards.

It’s Deer (crash) Season

We don’t have hurricanes or earthquakes here in Northern Michigan, but we do have our own “natural disasters”; vehicle-deer crashes.  The Michigan State Police reports that each year, there are more than 60,000 reported vehicle-deer crashes in Michigan. About 80 percent of these crashes occur on two-lane roads between dusk and dawn, although the Grand Traverse County Sheriffs and Traverse City Police departments have reported car-deer crashes in our near the city limits.  The most serious crashes occur when motorists swerve to avoid a deer and hit another vehicle or a fixed object, or when their vehicle rolls over.

So many miles of road go through areas that contain or attract deer, such as fields and forested areas.  Naturally, when traveling, deer make no distinction about roadways, crossing the areas as needed. The result is usually either a “heart-stopping” near-miss or a vehicle and animal-rending crash…often fatal to the deer and serious to the auto and its driver.

There are a number of steps drivers can take to either avoid or minimize the harm associated with deer collisions:

• Watch for wildlife and reduce your speed while driving through areas near fields and forests, particularly at dawn or dusk (often, such areas have traffic signs that warn of deer crossings)
• If a deer is caught in your headlights and if you can do so safely, turn your headlights on and back on
• Try long horn blasts to frighten the animal off the road (this also works for any other animal)
• When braking, apply them firmly and maintain your path of travel. It may seem that swerving makes since, but the maneuver will either further confuse a deer, or cause a loss of vehicle control and a collision with an off-road object or another vehicle.
• Deer do not travel alone, so expect more whenever you see a deer
• Always be sure to use your seatbelts
• Avoid distractions that take your eyes off the road

The chance for a deer collision is much greater from October through December because of deer mating and hunting seasons. If you do hit a deer, try to get your vehicle off the road and do not approach or touch an injured deer. It is safer to call for emergency assistance.

Trick-or-Treat Lawsuit

Traverse City area neighborhoods will soon have Trick-or-Treater’s knocking on their doors It’s their responsibility as the homeowner and insurance policy owner, to prevent losses. Halloween is a huge liability exposure. By decorating, turning your porch light on, and handing out treats homeowners invite some of the most common, and most expensive liability claims.

To make it simple, any injury that any person might suffer while their feet are on you property can be considered your liability. Take a few moments and consider these important issue before inviting the neighborhood to knock on your front door:

• If you trip over the garden-hose everytime you walk to the front door, than don’t assume the little monsters won’t nearly break an arm when they trip over something on the way to your door. Be sure to move any obstacles from the sidewalk, driveway, and entry of your home.
• Use only outdoor approved lighting and don’t place any lit candles outside of your home.
• Be sure the area is well lit, and keep your lights on all night. Remember no matter how great the candy was at your house, Tricksters are still interested in causing problems. The best targets are dark homes where no witnesses will see the mischief!
• Eggs are very difficult to clean off the side of your house, and even worse when they hit the hood of your car. If possible park you car in a garage Halloween night!
• Be sure your pets are safely kept inside the house on Halloween. Not only are they at great risk of being frightened or hurt, but a dog bite claim is not what most of us expect when we’re handing out candy.
• Most of all, be sure the treats you hand out are safe and individually wrapped.