Holiday Parking Lot Safety

It’s always important to keep holiday safety in mind when the end of the year comes around. The risk of getting hurt increases during the holidays for a myriad of reasons, whether it’s due to a lack of toy safety awareness or a lack of travel safety. One thing that few people think about when it comes to safety awareness during the holiday season is parking lot safety.

Parking Lot Holiday Safety Risks

People automatically assume that they’re in a safe area when driving around in a parking lot — most likely because the speed limit is very low to prevent accidents from occurring. However, just because people are driving slowly doesn’t mean there’s no risk.

There tend to be a lot of accidents that can result in injuries in parking lots, especially during the holidays in California when stores are packed. There are numerous reasons for this:

  • People are often on their phones while driving through parking lots and aren’t paying attention to the road.
  • People who are leaving their parking spaces often forget to check their blind spots and back into someone or something.
  • Parking lots are very congested with both vehicles and people during the holidays, which means the risk of an accident can increase.

Holiday Safety Tips For Navigating Parking Lots

To ensure that you don’t get into an accident in a parking lot this holiday season, be sure to keep the following safety tips in mind:

  • Be careful when backing up – When leaving a parking spot, don’t just rely on your rearview mirror — look over your shoulder and check your blind spots. Back up slowly just in case a pedestrian or car passes by.
  • Pay attention when driving through a parking lot – Besides avoiding traffic and pedestrians, you’ll want to be on the lookout for any cars that are leaving their parking spots that aren’t paying attention. 
  • Follow the law – Stop at the stop signs and stay under the speed limit when driving through parking lots.
  • Park away from the store – The further away you park, the less congested it becomes, thereby lessening the risk of getting into an accident during the holidays. 

Be sure to keep these holiday safety tips in mind when driving through parking lots in California during the holiday season. For more holiday safety tips, visit us at The Benefits Store today.

Holiday Parking Lot Safety

Parking Lots Are Riskier Than You Think

Tens of thousands of crashes occur in parking lots and garage structures annually, resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries. And, around the holidays, parking lots become even more dangerous.

Key points

  • Factors such as distracted driving, speeding, more frequent turning and higher pedestrian count are among the reasons that these incidents occur.
  • In addition to vehicles, parking lot surfaces can play a role in injuries and incidents

Auto insurers report the number of claims spike on Black Friday and run above normal throughout the holiday shopping season. The number of incidents is probably higher than insurance claims indicate, as many fender-benders go unreported.

So Many Distractions

In an NSC public opinion poll, 66% of drivers nationwide said they would make phone calls while driving through parking lots. Respondents also said they would:

  • Program GPS systems (63%)
  • Text (56%)
  • Use social media (52%)
  • Send or receive emails (50%)
  • Take photos or watch videos (49%)

NSC found teens (59%) were more likely to engage in personal grooming than adults (53%) while driving in parking lots, but less likely to be on the phone (60% vs. 66%).

During the hectic holiday season, drivers and pedestrians also are likely to be distracted by extensive to-do lists and are hurriedly trying to get from one place to another.

One way for consumers to steer clear of trouble is to pick a lot where pedestrian traffic is restricted and video surveillance equipment is used to monitor the facility.

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Toy Safety Tips for the Holidays

Toy safety is something that you want to make sure you keep in mind as the holidays approach. If you have children, then you want to ensure that any toys that you buy for them, as well as any toys that they receive from friends or family, are safe to use. Because a lot of people don’t realize that some toys may pose a danger, they often don’t keep safety in mind when buying presents for a child. The following is a brief guide on toy safety that you should be sure to follow this holiday season.

Toy Safety Risks

The risk of injury as a result of a toy is greater than you might think. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there were around 198,000 toy-related injuries treated in emergency rooms across the United States in 2020 alone. An estimated 75% of those injuries were to children 14 years old and younger. There were nine toy-related deaths in that same year.

Toy Safety Tips

Due to the potential injury risk that certain toys may have, it’s essential that you keep the following toy safety tips in mind if you plan on buying a toy as a gift for a child:

  • If the toy uses fabric, make sure that it’s labeled as either flame retardant or flame resistant.
  • Any stuffed toy that you buy should be completely washable.
  • If the toy is painted, the paint should be marked as lead-free.
  • Any art materials that you purchase should be advertised as nontoxic.
  • If you’re buying crayons or paints, look for ASTM D-4236 on the package, which ensures that they’ve been thoroughly tested for safety.
  • Buy new toys. Older toys may not meet current safety standards.
  • Check the age recommendations on every toy. A toy meant for an older age group may pose a risk to younger children (for example, they could pose a choking hazard due to smaller parts).

Are you planning on buying a gift for a child this holiday season? Then be sure to keep toy safety in mind. For more safety awareness advice, visit us at The Benefits Store today.

5 Fast Facts About Longterm Care

longterm care

More and more people are in need of long-term care as the years pass. The reasons for this are simple: every generation is bigger than the last, which means there are more senior citizens than ever before. On top of that, people are living longer. The downside to this is that there is a greater need for long-term caregivers. It’s estimated that there are roughly 45 million caregivers in the U.S. alone that are taking care of loved ones.

What Does Long-Term Care Consist Of?

Longterm care refers to personal care needs. Generally, these are not medical needs, but assistance with activities of daily living, such as eating, bathing, getting dressed, and more. Caregivers not only help with activities of daily living, but also with things like housework, grocery shopping, financial management, and more.

Facts About Long-Term Care 

The following are a few facts about long-term care that will help you understand just how important long-term caregivers are:

  1. Long-term caregivers spend an average of 21 hours a week taking care of their loved ones.
  2. Few people in need of long-term care can rely completely on a professional caregiving service. According to the National Family Caregivers Association, it’s estimated that 78% of adults in need of long-term care rely on family members and friends.
  3. Around 37% of caregivers in the U.S. were forced to switch from full-time to part-time work in order to care for their loved ones.
  4. Around 29% of caregivers are forced to use their own savings to help provide care for their loved ones. That is because Medicare doesn’t include longterm care as a benefit. Additionally, most insurance policies have limits on any long-term benefits that are provided.
  5. The average length of long-term care is three years, according to the National Center of Health Statistics.

Long-term caregivers do a significant amount of work, and it’s important to understand and appreciate the growing need we have for them in the U.S. For more information about caregivers, visit us at The Benefits Store today.

Family Caregivers: Unsung Heroes

Family caregivers are often taken for granted, but the work they do to provide long-term care to family members can be very challenging and time-consuming. A caregiver takes on a lot of responsibility for helping out their loved ones, whether it’s shopping for them, cooking for them, cleaning them, or more. Because of how much personal time they dedicate to their loved ones, it’s important that we recognize their sacrifices and hard work. That’s why November is designated National Family Caregivers Month.

Tips for Family Caregivers

According to the Institute of Medicine, 90% of long-term care in the U.S. is provided by family caregivers. That means a staggering number of people sacrifice their personal time and effort to take care of somebody, despite not getting paid for it. Such time and effort can even conflict with their personal lives, making it even more challenging.

If you’re a caregiver for a family member, then it’s important to know that you’re not alone, and there are things you can do to make life easier. The following are a few tips to keep in mind if you’re a family caregiver:

  • There is assistance available. Country Senior Ride Services and Meals on Wheels are just a few services you can use to help ease the demands of caregiving.
  • It’s possible to take time off. Your family member might need constant attention, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take a breather. Respite care and adult day care services are available to look after your family member for anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks.
  • You’re not alone. Not only are there many other caregivers out there, but they have support groups you can join. A support group can help with your mental health as well as help you obtain valuable advice about caregiving from others.
  • Reduce your stress. Caregiving can be stressful. Try to reduce your stress levels by taking time for yourself, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and considering activities such as yoga.

Family caregiving is crucial to the seniors living in our country. For more information about family caregiving, be sure to visit us at The Benefits Store today.