Summertime is full of adventures outdoors. But with adventure comes risk, and summer safety may not be top of mind when you’re having fun.
We’ve included our top safety tips for summer to help you keep you and your family safe, happy, and healthy no matter where your adventures take you:
Featured Resource:
Safety Tips for Summer Fun
Our top safety tips to keep you and your family safe, happy, and healthy no matter where your summer adventures take you.
Pool Safety
Backyard pools (as well as community ones) can pose a big risk for young children. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, unintentional injuries, such as drowning in a pool, are a leading cause of death for children 1 – 4 years old.
While children are most at risk, practicing swimming safety for all ages is the smart approach:
- Young children and anyone who cannot swim well should wear a life vest or flotation device at the pool.
- Always be attentive. Keep an eye on children at all times around water.
- Install pool safety equipment, such as a pool alarm for kids, fencing in your pool, adding drain covers, a life hook, and a safety pool cover.
- Do not drink alcohol around a pool or in a hot tub to prevent injuries.
- Deflate and put away kiddie pools when not in use.
- Talk to your children about pool and water safety.
- Learn CPR and first aid so you are prepared in the event of an accident.
- Take swim lessons. Become a stronger swimmer yourself, and have your children learn how to swim well.
- Check the pool or water first if your child is missing.
- Understand the signs of drowning:
- Silence. Drowning is often quiet.
- Head tilted back, and mouth open, trying to get air.
- Vertical in the water. Little to no movement or flailing arms.
- Hair over eyes.
- Know what to do if someone is drowning:
- Call for help and have someone call 911.
- If possible, throw something to the person rather than jump in, such as a life hook, and pull them out. If not possible, pull the person out as soon as possible.
- Start performing rescue aid and CPR. Check for a sign of breathing or a pulse, then perform CPR as needed.
- Get the person medical attention immediately. Even if the person seems fine, they need to be checked for injuries or delayed drowning symptoms.
Similarly, if you have a house pool, you may want to consider adding excess liability insurance to your existing coverage. Excess liability insurance helps cover your risks in the event of an accident, such as around a pool. Your insurer may also provide other risk mitigation tips to keep everyone safe.
Open Water and Beach Safety
Anytime you’re near open water, such as lakes or the beach, be mindful of your surroundings with these tips:
- When on a boat, kayak, or other watercraft, make sure to have life vests for every person. They should always be worn, whether you can swim or not.
- Shuffle your feet when walking out into the ocean or open water. This helps prevent injuries due to aquatic life or sharp shells.
- Check for lifeguards on duty and look for flags alerting local conditions.
- Sudden summer thunderstorms are common and can pop up fast. Pay attention to these rapid changes and head indoors whenever you hear thunder or see lightning.
- Avoid rip currents. In the event you get caught in one, swim, float, or tread parallel with the current and wave for help. Don’t fight the current.
- Apply plenty of sunscreen and drink lots of water to prevent sunburns and dehydration.
Car Safety
Like the weather outside, cars can get hot fast. It’s important to take extra precautions during the summer months when driving and road tripping:
- Never leave a child or pet in the car, even for a short while. There are about 38 child heatstroke deaths from hot vehicles every year. As parents, it’s easy to get distracted and forgetful. Always double-check the backseat that no one was accidentally left behind, especially if you’re out of your normal routine.
- Perform routine summer car maintenance. Check your coolant to make sure your engine has enough to keep from overheating.
- There are more fatal crashes among teens during the summer months than any other time of year. Have a chat with your teens about safe driving practices.
- Holiday and summer parties are common. Drive responsibly, have a designated driver, or use a rideshare.
- Get enough sleep and stop for rest when feeling tired on the road.
- Watch out for bicycles and motorcycles. Give them plenty of room, and remember they have the same rules and rights on the road.
Outdoor Safety Tips for Summer
No matter what fun you’re having outside this summer (and there is a lot to be had), keep these safety tips in your back pocket:
- Wear sunscreen and reapply every 80 minutes.
- Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water to stay cool and reduce dehydration and heatstroke risks.
- Cool off in the shade or inside often.
- Wear a helmet when riding a bicycle or motorcycle.
- Use insect repellent to ward off mosquitoes, ticks, and other disease-transmitting bugs.
- Practice firework safety. Use only where legal, away from your home, trees, and people, and do not use in drought or wildfire conditions.
- Never leave a grill unattended. Do not grill indoors or enclosed areas.
- Do not leave pets outdoors without shade or water.
- Share your summer plans with others. For your safety, let others know where you are, whether it’s a concert, road trip, picnic, or camping trip.
Enjoy a Fun, Safe Summer
We hope you enjoy beautiful weather, safe travels, and fun adventures. At Vault, we know risk education and mitigation are key to reducing the severity of loss. Protecting your assets is more than insuring them, it’s looking at the bigger picture to reduce all possible risks. We provide all-encompassing risk management services to help proactively safeguard the life you’ve built – that’s the Vault difference.
Request a quote and experience the Vault difference for our high-net-worth homes, collections, and liability.
Related Products: Homeowners Insurance, Excess Liability
Featured Resource:
Safety Tips for Summer Fun
Our top safety tips to keep you and your family safe, happy, and healthy no matter where your summer adventures take you.
While Vault believes the information provided in this article to be accurate, we do not warrant the accuracy or reliability of the information provided. Vault is not responsible for, and does not adopt, endorse or approve any third-party webpages, or their content, that may be hyperlinked from this page. Nothing on this page alters any terms or conditions of an insurance policy and is not intended to be taken as legal, medical, or other professional advice.
