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2.1 MOST ACCIDENTS HAPPEN AT HOME; HOW TO PREVENT CRIME, ACCIDENTS, INJURIES

The most dangerous place by far is your home! This is where most accidents happen. And the most dangerous place is the kitchen!

This is really not surprising when you think about it. Home is generally where most of us spend most of our time, so that is where accidents are bound to occur. Kitchens, in particular, have a lot of dangers. There are sharp knives, old blenders with no safety features, boiling water, hot ovens, and counters with sharp corners. Most house fires start in the kitchen.

A fire in your home is a very real and deadly danger because it often happens at night when everyone is asleep. Inexpensive smoke alarms (about $10 apiece) should be on every floor as well as in every hallway, outside the bedroom as well as inside the bedroom. Your home owner's or renter's insurance premiums may drop when you install these alarms, so they may actually cost you nothing. Batteries must be replaced every year - usually when the time changes in the fall. They should be tested at the same time. Nevertheless, I keep reading about homes that burn down because the none of the alarms went off. The most likely reason is that the owner never replaced the $2 batteries.

A PERSONAL NOTE: I woke up in the middle of the night 20 years ago to find my house full of smoke. A fire was smoldering in another room and was easy to put out. I did not own any smoke alarms at the time. I was very lucky.

Falling is the most common kind of accident. Again this is obvious when you realize that as two legged upright creatures we can slip and fall during any day of our lives.

The most likely place you will fall in your home is the bathroom. The tile and floor tend to be very slippery. The elderly are especially prone to this. Remember that Senator John Glenn (who had orbited the Earth) slipped and fell in his bathroom and had to give up his first bid for the US senate.

To prevent falls in the tub and bathroom buy very inexpensive rubber stick-ons. Put these any where you place your feet for support. I installed a set in a very slippery bathtub-shower combination and it made a world of difference. Elderly people should strongly consider adding handles to help them lift themselves in the bathroom. These generally screw into the wall, usually on a stud.

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