Blog Archive: December 2018
Dec. 27
If you’ve lived in Minnesota for at least one winter, you know that snow and ice affect pretty much every aspect of our lives in the winter months. If you’re not scraping it off your car, you’re shoveling it off your sidewalks or making a snowman from it or simply hiding indoors where it’s warm and cozy. But there’s one more thing affected by snow and ice that you may not think of: your natural gas meter. If gas is what makes your home warm and cozy (or at least runs some of your appliances), you’ll need to give it a little love when it snows...
Dec. 20
“Finals week was tough. She just needs to blow off steam with her friends.” “I’d rather he and his buddies drink here at home, where I can keep an eye on them.” “When the kids have friends over, we let them have some wine at dinner with the family — it’s tradition!” Ever heard these excuses to allow underage drinking? Then you should know that not a single one of them is legitimate – at the holidays, or ever. The drinking age is 21 for a reason. A person’s brain isn’t fully developed in the teenage years. In fact, a person’s brain continues to form even after the teenage years are over...
Dec. 17
We could be in for three or four more months of the white stuff. That’s why now is the perfect opportunity to prepare yourself and your car for winter driving. After all, over the past five years (2013-2017), law enforcement officers in Minnesota reported snowy or icy road conditions in over 82,500 crashes. As a result of those crashes, 220 people died, and 22,487 were injured. So as you can see, winter weather is definitely a factor in road safety here in Minnesota. What can you do about it? Be prepared...
Dec. 13
Forget partridges and lords a-leaping. No matter what holiday you celebrate this time of year, you can give your loved ones the gift of safety. It’s not something you can wrap up in a bow, but if you follow these 12 safety tips, you can avoid common situations that could ruin the holidays for you and your family...
Dec. 10
Even one death – no matter what caused it – is one too many. And it’s important to remember, when looking at statistics about death, that the numbers represent people: parents, friends, cousins, colleagues. But we can also learn from these statistics in the hope of not repeating history. That’s why looking at the annual statistics for motorcycle deaths in Minnesota is so important. The preliminary numbers for show that 58 motorcyclists have died in 56 crashes so far in 201. That’s not the highest in our history – that was in 1980, when 121 motorcyclists died – but it’s not the lowest, either...
Dec. 6
Imagine taking your pontoon on the lake with your friends for the final cruise of the season. But the motor gives out, and you’re stranded. The sun is setting and it’s getting chilly. No big deal — you just call 911, right? But what if you and your friends are deaf? A group of friends on Lower Spunk Lake found themselves in this very situation. Fortunately, they remembered that Text-to-911 is available in Minnesota. DNR Conservation Officers were dispatched to the lake, where they towed the pontoon to shore and brought all four people to safety. Now that Minnesota’s Text-to-911 system...
Dec. 3
December has only just begun, and you’re probably already in the thick of the holiday jungle: the parties. The concerts. The decorating. And the shopping. If you’re like a lot of people, you’ve turned to online shopping to ease the burden. It’s so much easier to find what you want and, with a couple of clicks from the comfort of your own home, check off that box on your holiday to-do list. If getting your REAL ID is another of those boxes, don’t worry: Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) has employed a similar concept...
