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Spending time chilling with friends is one of the things that teenagers enjoy best – whether that be outside in parks, going to each other’s homes or at clubs. But, have you ever got yourself into a potentially dangerous or risky situation? Perhaps you’ve had a near miss with a car crossing the road or caught your skin with burning hot hair straighteners in a hurry? There are dangers all around us, whether that is in the home or outside.
It’s always a good idea to have those dangers in the back of your mind, know how to keep yourself safe and avoid any potentially dangerous situations. There’s a lot of areas we could discuss for keeping safe. This article is going to highlight three and give you some (possibly obvious) but extremely important and helpful top tips for how you can look after yourself and your friends.
The roads are littered with dangers. If you’re walking, then get in the habit of following a few basic rules to keep yourself protected. When crossing the road, use a pedestrian crossing or zebra crossing whenever possible. If not remember the ‘look left, look right, look left again’ rule. Electric vehicles zoom along very quietly so don’t always rely on being able to hear them.
If you’ve got a bike then brilliant! Cycling is a great way to get around more quickly while getting some of your 60 minutes of daily exercise in, but always wear a helmet! If you fall off or get knocked off, your helmet will protect your head. It is the single most effective safety device available to reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes. Use your head, wear a helmet! If you’re scooting the same applies – wear a helmet! The roads are not a place for showing tricks off to your friends either. If you want to do that, go somewhere safe like in a skate or BMX park.
On lovely, hot and sunny days it can be extremely tempting to go for a swim in a lake, river or reservoir. Make sure that if you decide to swim it’s in safe and supervised environment. Be extra vigilant to dangers such as currents and low temperatures that could be hazardous. It’s easy to quickly get into a difficult and dangerous situations in the water. Make sure that you let family/ friends know where you are and that you have a fully charged phone in case you need to call for help.
There are a few easy things you can do to keep yourselves extra safe in your homes. Don’t charge devices when you’re out of the house or overnight, they can overheat and cause a fire. Take extra care with electrical appliances that could cause burns, in the kitchen for example or hair straighteners. Get into the habit of switching hair straighteners off as soon as you’ve finished using them. Take care to keep them somewhere safe to stop any younger family members accidentally touching them and getting a burn! Keep your stairs and walkways clear to avoid any falls and trips.
Look out for more top tips in upcoming articles!
