Blog Archive: june 2017
June 29
Few traditions bring as much joy as fireworks on the Fourth of July. Lying on a blanket under the stars with your family and friends, ooh-ing and ahh-ing as each gorgeous new display seems brighter and more sparkly than the last…well, there’s just nothing like it. And that’s exactly what the Fourth of July should be: happy and fun. But spending it waiting for the fire department to come or, worse yet, rushing to the emergency room with a third-degree burn is definitely not happy or fun. That’s why firework safety is so important. Even legal fireworks that don’t fly – like sparklers – can cause damage...
June 26
When you think about being prepared for severe weather, you probably imagine things like emergency kits with food and medicine or making sure you have clean water available. But in this age of wireless communication, it’s also very important to have an emergency tech plan in place. This includes using your various mobile devices to your advantage. How will you contact friends, family or first responders if the phone lines are jammed or your cell phone is dead? Fortunately, we have 10 simple tech tips that can help you get through severe weather or a disaster...
June 22
Imagine the perfect summer vacation. Whether it was fishing, family, or theme parks (or some combination), you posted a bunch of photos that made your friends jealous. And now you’re tired, happy, maybe a little sunburned, and really looking forward to your own bed. So how will it feel to come home to a crime scene? A burglary takes place about every 18 seconds in the US. But by taking a few steps before you leave for your trip, you can greatly increase your chances of coming home to a safe, secure house with all your possessions intact...
June 19
A hot, humid day is a lot more pleasant on the back of a motorcycle, isn’t it? The Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center (MMSC) understands. There’s nothing like opening up that bike on an open stretch of road in the summertime. And whether this is your first year as a motorcyclist, or whether you’re an old hand at riding, there’s a motorcycle training course for you. You don’t have to be a beginner to benefit from a motorcycle training course at one of the 28 locations throughout Minnesota. There are intermediate, advanced, and expert courses available too...
June 15
Your final destination is never guaranteed. We know this because from Memorial Day through Labor Day, people die on Minnesota roads at a rate of more than one per day – and we can all agree that one per month or even one per summer is too many. That’s why we refer to that stretch of time as the 100 deadliest days on Minnesota roads. Preliminary numbers show that the 100 deadliest days in 2016 yielded 120 fatalities out of 392 total for the year. That means that 31 percent of traffic deaths occurred during 27 percent of the year. What caused these fatalities? The main factors are drunk driving...
June 12
Ah, summer in Minnesota: a time of year to go for a swim, work in the garden…and schedule your teenager’s road test at a Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) office because they finally have time to take it. Scheduling a road test is easy, but there are a few tips to keep in mind that can make the process even smoother. If you don’t know where to start, go to the “Find Office Locations” page of the DVS website. Once you know what exam station you want, you can schedule your road test online. Keep in mind that not all exam stations extend their hours for the summer...
June 8
The heat. The humidity. The rat race. Sometimes Minnesota summers just make you want to pack up the kids and go to the lake. But getting away isn’t worth it if your cabin or camper or boat isn’t as safe as it can be, so make sure you have working carbon monoxide (CO) and smoke alarms. You and your family are just as susceptible to carbon monoxide poisoning or a deadly fire when you’re up at the lake, as evidenced by a couple who died of apparent CO poisoning in their camper in Cloquet last week...
June 5
When you work someplace for ten years, you get pretty familiar with all the things they do. Take the Minnesota State Patrol, for example, where Lisa Jaeger has worked for the past decade, managing their fleet of squad cars. She’s pretty much seen it all — she once even went on a ride-along that involved a blood run, when troopers brought life-saving blood as quickly as possible to someone who needed it. But there’s a difference between knowing what troopers do and having your own life depend on it. Lisa says she “never thought in a million years” she’d be on the receiving end ...
June 1
If you’re like Kelli Abrahamson, the first thing you do after getting in a car is to put on your seatbelt. You don’t even think about it. It’s muscle memory: Your hand automatically reaches for it. And if anyone knows how important that narrow strip of webbing is, it’s Kelli: Seatbelts have saved her life twice. And on the one occasion when Kelli forgot to put on her seatbelt, her life changed forever. On July 7, 1996, Kelli was on her way to a graduation party with some friends in her hometown of Pierz. She was in the midst of telling a story when she hopped out to grab something...
