AAA suggests the following winter-driving suggestions:

• Increase your following distance. Build in a six-second time gap. Pick a marker or sign and begin counting when the car ahead passes it — “one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two…”
• Exercise caution. Ice is most likely to form first and be slipperiest in shaded areas, bridges, overpasses and intersections.
• Improve visibility. Clear snow and ice from the entire car. Brush away snow from the hood, roof, trunk, turn signals, lights, windows, mirrors, and fender wells.
• Drive with headlights on low-beam. Lights at low-beam provide better road illumination in snow and fog than do high-beams.
• Slow down in bad weather. Remember, posted speed limits are set for ideal road and weather conditions.
• Avoid sudden starts, stops and turns. Accelerate carefully so car wheels don’t spin.
• Apply brakes firmly. The best technique for braking on ice or snow is “threshold” or “squeeze” braking. Apply brakes firmly to a point just short of lock-up and ease off the brake pedal slightly.
• Steady pressure is better than “pumping” the brakes. For anti-lock brakes, continuous firm braking is recommended. Refer to your owner’s manual for proper procedure.
• In a skid, ease off the accelerator. Carefully steer in the direction you want the car to go and straighten the wheel as soon as the car begins to go in the desired direction.
• Anticipate danger. Be on the lookout for ice on bridges, snow-covered lane markings, stalled cars and poor visibility. Watch for drivers who are unprepared for changing road conditions.
• Make sure you have at least half of tank of gasoline in your vehicle. Be sure to have a “winter survival kit,” in your vehicle, including ice scraper and brush; shovel; boots, gloves and hat; flashlight; and first aid kit.

Source: AAA Michigan

Advertisement

Halloween is a time of play, decorations, dress-up and trick-or-treating. But with this excitement comes the risk of fires and burns from ignition sources such as candles and jack-o-lanterns, if they come into even momentary contact with certain Halloween costumes.

The National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) provides fire safety tips in the hopes of reducing fires and burn injuries during Halloween festivities. Follow this costume safety advice from NASFM:

• Avoid flowing and loose-fitting costumes, as well as masked and over-the-head designs, which can impede vision or make removal difficult in the event of fire. Costumes that are snug or form-fitting are less likely to come into contact with ignition sources, and children are also less likely to trip over them while walking.
• Look for labels that indicate the costume is made of flame-resistant materials. These costumes, if they come into contact with a flame, are supposed to stop burning if the flame is removed.
• If you cannot find a label indicating flame resistance, choose costumes that are made primarily of polyester or nylon fabric. Such fabrics typically do not ignite from a small flame and if they do, the resulting fire may burn slowly and readily extinguish. If you are making costumes from scratch, choose polyester or nylon fabrics for greater flame resistance.
• Costumes made from cotton, rayon, acetate or their blends can be more dangerous because these fabrics are inherently more flammable. If not treated to be flame resistant, such costumes may ignite quickly if they brush across or into a small open flame or very hot surface. Avoid costumes made of these types of fabrics.
• The addition of fake fur, stringy strands, lace trim, ornamentation, added padding and foam, imprinted or stenciled designs and flimsy material can make any costume more flammable and increase a wearer’s fire risk. Such designs should be avoided.
• Always supervise children as they go trick or treating, taking special care to avoid lit candles and jack-o-lanterns, high heat or flaming decorations.
• If a costume does catch fire, remember to “Stop, Drop and Roll.” This serves to keep flames away from the upper body, neck and facial areas. It also helps to slow or reduce flame spread and smother the flames.
• When you decorate for Halloween, use battery operated or electric lights that have been tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory. Check each set of lights, new or old, for damage. Throw out damaged sets.
• Do not use candles or other open flames, inside or outside. Keep any small open flames away from curtains, decorations or other objects that could catch fire.
• Do not overload extension cords.

For more fire safety information, visit the NASFM web site.

Source: National Association of State Fire Marshals

See all Halloween lists

The new generation of popular sour candy is more trick than treat, warn dental experts. Most of it contains acid levels so high that it approaches the ph level of battery acid, according to the California Dental Hygienists’ Association (CDHA).

Sour candy comes in dozens of varieties and forms including hard, soft, chewy, gummy, gels, liquid sprays, crystals, foam sprays, powders, cotton candy and chewing gums. Most people think this type of candy is safer because it has less sugar, but they don’t know that the acid content is toward the extreme end of the acidic spectrum.

The CDHA is offering the following tips for this Halloween:

• Avoid, limit or seriously reconsider choosing or eating candy labeled “sour or tart”
• Remember that “sour” means “acid,” which is bad for teeth
• Look for the following acids on the back label of ingredients and avoid them: citric, lactic, malic, tartaric, fumaric, adipic, ascorbic
• Don’t be fooled by “concentrated fruit juice extracts,” which is a code phrase for ingredients that can be highly acidic
• If you choose to consume sour candies, rinse your mouth with water immediately afterwards to reduce the damaging effects from the acids
• DO NOT brush your teeth directly after eating sour candy as the toothbrush and toothpaste are abrasive. This will scratch and will remove more of the already softened enamel

Source: California Dental Hygienists’ Association
Photo: Erika Feltham

See all Halloween lists