I was jumping for joy when daylight saving time began! Just the thought of having extra time to be outside in the evening enjoying outdoor concerts, barbeques and just some family play time puts me in a good mood. So I was a little shocked to find out not everyone shares my enthusiasm. In fact, someone on my personal Facebook page decided to start bursting my bubble by explaining all the negative aspects of that extra hour of light in the afternoon. While I refuse to become doom and gloom about this, he did have some good points so I decided that there are some safety concerns that need to be kept in mind:

Kids are walking out to the bus in the dark

If you don’t have driveway lights or an automatic sensor on your lights, it’s something you should consider. Right now, there are still icy patches and it’s also important that your kids can see and be seen.

Illuminate the play areas

I remember as a kid that when the weather got warm I stayed outside for hours with my friends. Be sure that backyard play areas, pools and long driveways are well illuminated to prevent injuries when riding bicycles, playing sports or simply hanging out.

Use timers on your lights to save $$

When it’s still dark out leaving for work, it’s easy to forget to switch lights off. Put timers on lights so that they will automatically turn off after you leave. 

Finally, even though we always hear reminders to change our batteries in our smoke detectors and CO detectors when we change our clocks, it’s easy to forget or ignore. Don’t! This one simple move could literally save your life.