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Once again, as we “fall back” – to end Daylight Savings Time and return to standard time, it's a perfect time to remember to change our smoke alarm batteries.  Adopting the habit of changing smoke alarm batteries either at the end or the beginning of Daylight Savings Time will keep your family safe, protect your home from fire and smoke damage and help you to avoid homeowners insurance claims.

We all know the value of a reliable smoke alarm in our home. However, having a smoke alarm isn't enough. A good fire safety plan requires that the smoke alarms actually work.  Getting into the habit of doing a quick check of your smoke alarm devices each month will ensure that they are working properly, and changing the batteries at least once a year will ensure that their batteries are fresh and strong. 

If Neglected, Smoke Alarms Might Stop Working

Smoke alarms can stop working because they outlive their usefulness, especially if they are more than 10 years old. However, more commonly, these alarms don't work because their battery is dead or because the smoke alarm has been disconnected or is missing its batteries.  In fact, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) warns that almost two-thirds of home fire deaths in 2005-2009 resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or non-working smoke alarms.

The Smoke Alarm Remind Might Not Remind You

You might wonder why you would not just wait until the smoke alarm beeping alerts you that your smoke alarm batteries need to be replaced.  That's a bad idea for many reasons such as…

• If you are not at home during time when the beeping alert begins until your smoke alarm batteries go totally dead, you might not be aware that they are not working. This leaves your family and your home unprotected against fire.
• When the beeping alert occurs, if you don't have replacement smoke alarm batteries ready, you might be tempted to stop the beeping by removing the batteries or disconnecting your smoke alarm. Of course, this decreases your protection from a fire until you get your smoke alarm working again.

Replacing Smoke Alarm Batteries

• Install the correct type of replacement battery as recommended in the manual or label on your smoke alarm, and follow all directions. Avoid using rechargeable batteries in your smoke alarm. Smoke alarm manufacturers advise against them
• Almost all smoke alarms batteries should be replaced each year, including those in hard-wired smoke alarms with battery backup. The only exceptions are hard-wired smoke alarms without a battery backup and smoke alarms that have a 10-year battery that cannot be replaced. In the latter case, you would replace the complete smoke alarm every 10 years.
• Remember to change the batteries in your carbon monoxide alarm at the same time that you change your smoke alarm batteries.
• If your smoke alarm is giving you frequent nuisance alarms, then it’s time to replace the entire smoke alarm unit. Don’t be tempted to just disconnect the battery to stop the nuisance alarms.
• Take the opportunity to clean your smoke alarm at the time that you change the batteries each year.
   
• More About Home Smoke Alarms from the NFPA (Video) 
• Smoke Alarms: Installation and Maintenance Tips
• Smoke Alarm Types: Ionization vs. Photoelectric

Whether you will be hosting a party or welcoming trick-or-treaters, opening your property to the public can leave you vulnerable to insurance claims and lawsuits.

The following 10 Tips will assure Halloween home safety...

• Create a Clear Path – Keep the area around your home clear of obstructions so that visitors don’t stumble and injure themselves.  Especially at Halloween, clear away lawn ornaments, gardening equipment, toys, etc. to help avoid a liability.
• Confine Your Pets – For the safety of your pets and your guests, keep dogs and cats away from the front porch or areas where they might jump on or even bit unfamiliar visitors.
• Keep the Lights On – Be sure that trick-or-treaters and other visitors are able to see clearly after dark to avoid falls and other injuries on your property.  You will not only help avoid a liability claim, but you’ll deter burglars who are always less inclined to approach a well-lit home.
• Avoid Open Flames – While candles and luminaries set the spooky mood on Halloween, they can easily be overturned and result in homeowners insurance claims for fire damage.  Consider light sticks and battery-powered lanterns instead.
• Jack-o-Lantern Safety – Unattended Jack-o-Lanterns lit by candles can easily be tipped over by trick-or-treaters or pets. Avoid fire damage claims by using a battery-powered light in your pumpkin.
• Supervise Pumpkin Carving – Enjoy the fun but assure home safety by having an adult or supervised older child carve the pumpkin this Halloween.  Better still, use a special pumpkin cutter for extra safety.
• Think Before You Serve – You are responsible for the safety of guests who will visit your home this Halloween.  Offer only commercially-packaged treats to trick-or-treaters.  Likewise, be sure to serve non-alcoholic beverages to your older party guests and never serve alcohol to anyone who is under-age.  If you are setting the mood at your party by using dry ice in a punchbowl, be sure to keep the chips out since they can cause severe injury if ingested.
• Assure Home Security – If you will be away from home during Halloween, don’t forget to set your security alarm system before you go. This is a prime time of year for mischief and burglaries.  So be sure to also activate motion-sensitive lights and alert your neighbors that you will be away.
• Test Your Home Smoke Alarms – While you are testing your home security system, don’t forget to test your smoke alarms well in advance of the Halloween celebrations to minimize the chance of having a claim for fire damage.
• Check Your Homeowners Insurance – Take a moment to speak with your insurance agent to be sure you will be fully protected for whatever plans you have for the Halloween Holiday.  The time to find out that your coverage is incomplete is NOT after you have a claim.

In fact, according to the Insurance Information Institute, over 1 .6 million deer-vehicle collisions occur each year.  These accidents result in vehicle damage, injuries and even fatalities at a cost in the neighborhood of $4.6 billion.

Deer collision accidents are on the rise, partially because the deer are being displaced from their natural habitat by urban sprawl but also because the deer population is growing.

A Few Facts…

• Prime times to find deer near the roadside are around dawn and from dusk to late evening.
• Deer collisions are most likely to occur during deer breeding season – from October through early January.
• Deer are pack animals. So if you see one, be assured that others are usually close by.

Deer Season Driving Tips

1. Know the likely deer-crossing zones – Whether or not a road is marked with a Deer Crossing Sign, be especially alert for deer when driving on roads or highways on the outskirts of town and in rural areas – especially where roads divide farm land from wooded land.
2. Know when deer are on the move – Be especially careful between 5AM and 8AM and between 5PM and midnight.
3. Always wear your seatbelt – Sixty percent of fatal animal crashes occurred when the driver was not wearing a seatbelt.
4. Use your high beams – When driving at night, especially during peak hazard times, use your high-beam headlights when there is no on-coming traffic. This won’t necessarily deter the deer from entering the roadway, but it will increase visibility so that you can more easily spot the deer sooner.
5. Brake firmly if you notice a deer near the road – Slow down and stop if necessary.  Be careful not to swerve out of your lane either into on-coming traffic or off the shoulder and into a ditch.
6. Don’t rely on devices – Items like deer whistles, deer fences and reflectors have not been proven effective at deterring deer crossing roadways.
7. Keep your distance – If you do strike a deer, don’t approach it.  An injured deer is frightened and can injure you as well as further injuring itself.  If the deer is blocking the roadway, it poses a threat to other drivers; so call the authorities immediately.
8. Contact your insurance agent – If you strike a deer and have damage to your vehicle or damage to some else’s property, notify your insurance representative as soon as possible and provide the necessary details.

In 2011, the Information Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) performed crash-test evaluations on plug-in electric cars for the very first time.  The Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf received the highest safety rating (the top rating of “good”) for rear, frontal, side and rollover crash protection.  Their rating for electronic stability control was still acceptable in the standard range, giving both the Volt and the Leaf a spot among the IIHS Top Safety Picks List for 2011.

The good news for consumers: It is clear that automakers are utilizing safety engineering in their electric cars that rivals that used in their vehicles with internal combustion engines.

The 2011 Top Safety Picks for all sizes of cars, vans and SUVs has been published by the IIHS, and it recognizes 38 cars, 25 SUVs and one minivan, in addition to the Leaf and Volt hybrid vehicles. When comparing this 2011 list to that of 2010, you will find more than double the number of vehicles to choose from that meet the safety criteria used by the IIHS.