It is the winter season and time to start to think about prevention of winter accidents. When most of us think of winter accidents, we think of snow removal injuries such as back strain or snow blower accidents. What most of us don’t think about is the other type of injuries such as slip and falls or auto-related incidents. Are we prepared for these?

Slip and fall injuries are easily prevented. It starts with what type of footwear we choose. We suggest practical footwear for everyone. Your practical shoes may be the ones in the very back of your closet that have the big clunky lug type of soles that provide traction. These shoes are appropriate for office workers as well. You can always change to fashionable shoes when you get to work. You may not look your best is these practical shoes, but think of how you will look after the fall. Not a very pretty sight either.

We also need to prepare for the slick surfaces. A bag of de-ice or kitty litter goes a long way to provide traction on sidewalks and driveways. It is a lot less expensive than a strained knee or broken bone. Keep it by the door, or even better, keep a used milk jug full in your car. If the surface looks slick, shake some out as you go to the door. This will not only help you but others that may come in after you.

We also need to think of how we are prepared for an auto accident. Are we prepared to walk some distance if we do not have a cell phone or do not have cell phone coverage? Do you keep your gas tank more than half full in the winter? Do you have a shovel in your car or a set of tire chains or a tow strap to facilitate getting you out of a ditch? The person that stops to help may not have these things either. Have you thought about a blanket just in case your car stalls and you have to wait for help? Keeping warm in a car is not an easy task without the heater. Think about not only yourself but your passengers as well.

Just a few simple steps could save your life or at least some big discomfort in case the unexpected happens this winter. We need to plan now just in case. In this case, an ounce of prevention could be a lot better than the pound of pain.