Madison County Democrat. (London, Ohio) 19??-1958, 1950-12-15
Safety Council Suggestions
For Keeping Holiday Happy

The next few weeks will be
dominated by one thought, Christ
mas. Everyone, young or old, will
be preparing for, and anticipat-
ing, that holiday. The nearer that
important day comes, the more
excited we will be. In our ex-
citement, it is possible that some
one will suffer an accident.
The Ohio State Safety Council
offers these suggestions to help
make the holiday season one of
joy and glad tidings rather than
a time of tragedy.
Keep safety in mind as you Sc
lect toys for children. Be sure
they are too large to enter a
baby's mouth. They should be
sturdy i'm construction SO no small
parts may come off and be put
in the child's mouth. Keep the
toys light in weight so the youth
may handle them easily.
Watch for sharp corners and
edges which may produce cuts
and scratches. Plastic scissors
with blunt ends will cut paperI
dolls, but will not damage tiny
fingers. Choose the right size of
riding toys. One that is too large
will cause the child to tumble
off.
Avoid purchasing play clothes
or loungng robes made of very
fuzzy material. Such fabrics may
catch fire easily-and once. ignited
they burn with almost explosive
speed. Choose decorations that
will not burn, and avoid the use
of candles near any flammable
materials.
Examine tree lighting sets for
frayed insulation and exposed
metal, replacing those strings hav-
ing such defects. Discard any
decoration that has become brown
by exposure to the heat of tree
light. When you trim your tree, be
certain that no metallic icicle
touches the bulbs. Place all or
naments SO they will not touch
bulbs. Disconnect lights before re-
firing or leaving the house.
If you want imitation snow be-
meath the tree, use flame proof
material. Do not use ordinary cot
ton. While wrapping gift pack
ages-do not smoke. Keep a.
waste basket handy for scrap
paper. Have the waste basket
near by when you unwrap gifts
on Christmas morning. This will
reduce the fire hazards, and the
chance of stepping on a cherish
ed gift that might be hidden by
the wrappings.
Some wrappings burn swiftly,
SO be careful about putting such
scraps into your fireplace OF
furnace. Don't stuff them all in
at one time, or the blaze may get
pretty hot
This is traditionally the season
for family gatherings. Travel will
be unusually heavy. Students re-
turning from college, married
sons and daughters coming home
TO spend Christmas with the folks,
will produce tremendous jams
at railroad and bus stations and
at airports, while the highways
will be jamrned with cars, partic-
ularly on Saturday and Monday
night.
Start your holiday trip as
early as you can SO you will not
need to hurry to arrive for Christ
mas. We are likely to have bad
driving weather, so do not expect
to cover more than 80 miles of
road an hour.
Be alert for hurrying pedestri-
ans who will have their minds on
shopping, getting home on time
rather than traffic hazards.
All of us have to do some walk
ing as we gather the necessities
for the season. Carry packages, or
your umbrella, so you can see in
all directions. Each year the pa
pers tell of some who, with vi
sion obscured, walked smack in
to an accident. Keep alert to
avoid injury.
Avoid smoking while shopping
or in crowds on the street, don't
set someone's gifts or clothing
afire with your smoke.
Many persons must be at work
on December 26, and homeward
travel will be heaviest on Christ
mas night. An early start and a
liesurely pace is your best assur-
ance of safe arrival. Drivers
should not drink, for the records
indicate 7 out of 10 drivers in
holiday mishaps had had a drink
or two.
Night time seeing conditions are
not good in late December. Be
sure your headlights are good and
properly adjusted. Keep wind
shield and windows free of dirt,
frost or steam. Observe all traf-
fic signs and signals. Be extra
careful where your road crosses