Stay Safe This Fourth of July @ Girl-Doll Fashion Gossip

XML

It’s always shocking how quickly the summer flies by and this year is no exception. June is over, so it’s time to think about the most enjoyable of summer holidays – the Fourth of July. For those overseas, the Fourth of July is America’s Independence Celebration, and it’s usually a pretty big deal.

Unfortunately, a huge amount of injuries occur on the Fourth. Many of these are avoidable if you pay attention to what’s happening around you and help others stay safe as well. You should have a great time this Independence Day, but you can’t have a good time hurt, so be careful.

Skip the Firecrackers

Fireworks are great fun. Lie back on a blanket or sit in a lawn chair with a cold drink and watch massive fireworks displays overhead. These shows are done by professionals and are often completely stunning to watch. Firecrackers, on the other hand, are almost always handled poorly making them completely unsafe.

Firecrackers are the small rockets and sparklers used by kids primarily around the Fourth. Sparkers are considered the least dangerous and can really be fun if you’re careful. If you use sparklers you’ll want to be sure you’re first allowed to use them within your city and that there isn’t a drought. Sparklers might look innocent enough, but they are still fire and can start a real inferno if dropped in the wrong place.

When carrying a lit sparkler, be sure you are well away from any hair, clothing, or body. Hold the sparkler well away from you and keep them out of the hands of younger kids. Be sure a responsible (sober) adult is always present in case something goes wrong.

Firecrackers, such as bottle rockets, are irresistible to many, but almost every adult knows someone who was injured, sometimes seriously, by fireworks such as bottle rockets. Lighting firecrackers is akin to lighting a small bomb. The bomb explodes and the firework does its thing with color and light up in the sky. The only problem is that the explosion part of the firecracker can do more than blow up a stream of color and lights. It can actually blow off part of your hand or give you all kinds of other injuries.

Be very wary around firecrackers and keep your younger siblings away, too. You never know when a rocket might shoot a way other than it was intended to go and hit someone standing nearby – don’t let that be you.

Find a Designated Driver

I would hope that you can trust your parents to be looking out for you and staying sober in order to drive you home at the end of the party. If you’re at a party and everyone is drinking, by no means should you get in the car until you’re convinced the driver is sober and safe – and that includes your parents.

The amount of drinking on the Fourth of July leads to an astonishing number of car accidents with accompanying injuries and even deaths. There are enough drunks on the road already, be sure you’re not riding with another one.

Water Safety

The Fourth is a hot day, so a lot of people cool off at the beach or at the pool. With so many people around, accidents are bound to happen, especially if nobody is paying attention or even encouraging unsafe water practices.

Check the depth of the pool before diving and if the pool is too crowded stay out. Too many people make the water unsafe for everyone. Sit on the edge and dangle your feet in the water to keep cool and play lifeguard to all the kids who don’t seem to realize that dunking and throwing each other around a crowded pool is a really bad idea.