According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there are approximately 250 injuries every single day during the holiday season. The holiday season is a dangerous time for a lot of different reasons. You need to know what the biggest risks are, and how you can take steps to avoid becoming a victim during a time that is supposed to be full of festive fun.

Follow These Five Tips for Prevention of Holiday Season Accidents

Accidents during the holidays can happen for lots of reasons, from dangerous new products coming into the home to problems with holiday decor. Five key tips that you should follow in order to try to avoid holiday accidents include the following:

• Drive assertively and carefully: According to USA Today, around 27,900 injuries and 250 fatalities occur in auto accidents over the holidays. Car crashes are more likely because of more travelers on the road, with an estimated 95 million Americans taking car trips to see friends and family over the holidays. You can reduce car accidents risks despite bigger crowds on roads by making sure you drive as carefully as possible.
• Don't get behind the wheel drunk: You should avoid drinking and driving if you don't want to contribute to enhanced risks of holiday car accidents. Both Christmas and New Years are two of the days of the year with the highest rates of drunk driving accidents.
• Try to stay away from stores on crowded days: Black Friday, Christmas Eve, and other crowded days can result in a risk of injuries due to problems with poor crowd control. Thieves may also hit the malls during the holiday shopping season to try to target shoppers, and they can sometimes turn violent.
• Monitor the toys you bring into your home: According to Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), around 254,200 toy-related injuries led to emergency room visits for kids in 2015.  Parents should make sure all toys they buy, and all toys bought for their kids, are age-appropriate and safe.  You should also supervise young children with new toys to make sure they don't find a way to put themselves in danger.
• Check for recalls on new products that you buy: The holidays are a time when lots of new products are purchased for people of all ages. It is important to monitor news of recalls to make sure none of these products turn out to be dangerous. You can register with a manufacturer to be alerted to recalls and can check with CPSC's database of recalled products to determine if any of the items that have been purchased or gifted to you are subject to a recall.

By following these tips, you can hopefully keep yourself and your loved ones safe and have a happy holiday and a good new year. If accidents do happen and someone gets hurt, it is also important to understand who can be held accountable so you can get compensated for damages and get the care needed to move forward.