Staying Safe During the Long Weekend

The August Civic long weekend is finally here and as one of the busiest weekends of the summer, it’s about to become even more busy with the various activities taking place throughout the city: concerts, music festivals, food fest and travel activities. Long weekends like these are the perfect opportunity to hang with family and friends, relax from a tough work week and have fun.  Whether it’s going on long trip, a day’s outing or visiting one of the cities events, people love long weekends.

However, regardless of the activity, it’s important to stay safe during the long weekend. Throughout the years, summer long weekends have had a history of being prominent for accidents and fatalities. With the Civic long weekend having a history of being an unsafe and deadly weekend, here are some tips to stay safe and have fun this long weekend:

• If you’re going on a trip, make sure to get your car checked out before you leave. You don’t want to start off your long weekend with any unsuspected surprises on the road. Also make sure to keep car supplies in the truck just in case an emergency does arise.

• Drive safely. With several activities taking place throughout the city, it`s important to have some patience while on the road as many people will be travelling in and out of the city. Remember to also watch your speed this weekend as officers will be patrolling the roads and looking for distracted and speeding drivers. With a bit of patience, it will help to keep everyone safe on the road.

• If you are travelling by car this weekend, take a break from the DVD’s and hand held games and play some fun road games. It’ll help keep everyone upbeat during the drive and will allow for the time to fly by.

• While on the road, don’t drink and drive. It’s important to keep this in mind every time you drive. Drinking and driving is a dangerous hazard on the road, as it puts your life and the lives of others.

• If you’re heading onto the lake, make sure that the boat has been checked out and that enough life jackets are present on the boat. In case of an accident, a life jacket can save a person’s life, even if they can swim.

• If you are going swimming this weekend, don’t consume alcohol before a swim as it can impair your vision and judgement. Also, never leave children unattended while swimming.

Still don’t know what you’re doing this weekend? If you’re not leaving the city, there are plenty of activities for you to choose from to enjoy the weekend. Catch a concert at Echo Beach or attend the Caribana Grand Parade this Saturday, which wraps up the Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival or if you’re into sports, check out the Rogers cup at the Rexall Center.