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Ready, Set, Summer!
Summer witnesses a huge surge in personal activities.
School ends and parents start searching for leisure
and recreational activities for themselves and their
children. The activities range from elaborate vacations
or summer-long camps to simply buying play and sports
equipment (or getting it out of storage) and renewing
park and pool passes.
Summer Fun's Dark Side
At the risk of being a killjoy, it's important to remember
that good, clean fun can also have consequences when
things go wrong. Using sports equipment such as tennis
racquets, baseballs, baseball bats, Frisbees, lawn darts,
or horseshoes have the potential to harm others. There
is even greater harm posed by operating skateboards,
bikes, mopeds, go-karts, and radio-controlled cars,
helicopters and planes. An even larger area of concern
may involve inviting friends over to use your driveway,
play equipment or swimming pool. Basically, the potential
liability comes from either you having fun at the expense
of other persons or their property, or failing to take
precautions that persons you've invited to your residence
(or other places) are safe to enjoy themselves.
How To Preserve Your Fun
The easiest way to prepare for your summer liability
is to ask yourself some questions:
* What can I do to keep other persons safe from
my activities?
* Am I prepared to be responsible for people
I hurt or property I damage?
* How do I make my home and yard safe for fun-seeking
visitors?
* Am I keeping my guests to various events safe?
While accidents happen, many can be prevented by making
sure that you and your children enjoy your activities
in a responsible manner. Operating bikes safely and
in low traffic areas reduces the chance that others
will be hurt. The safe use of games and equipment also
make the likelihood of having someone injured more remote.
In other words, it's important that your family uses
sports and game equipment safely and appropriately.
It also means that an adult be around to supervise many
activities when necessary, such as when the fun may
be more hazardous (street hockey) or when young neighborhood
children are around. Supervision is critical for potentially
dangerous activities such as the use of motorized recreational
equipment, trampolines, and swimming pools, even small
wading pools. It's also important to make certain that
guests you invite for camping or hiking trips are watched
after carefully. In many instances, you are responsible
for the safety of your guests when you bring them along
to enjoy outdoor activities, particularly boating or
other activities involving water-related equipment.
Home Inspection
Another way to reduce the chance of others being
hurt is to do an inspection of your home and yard. Do
you have an adequate fence (with secure or self-locking
gate) to protect young children from a pool when you're
not around? Is your playground equipment well-maintained
and strong enough to support the weight of the children
using it? Is your yard and driveway free of tripping
hazards? Are dangerous items such as tools, chemicals
and lawn equipment kept out of reach of children? If
you can answer "no" to any of these questions,
you're inviting trouble.
Insurance Plays A Role
When accidents happen, they may be followed by medical
expenses and, more seriously, lawsuits. You must be
protected against such financial consequences. Don't
assume you have coverage, especially when an activity
involves motorized or powered equipment. You may have
to add coverage to your homeowner policy or even buy
special coverage for mini-bikes, mopeds, boats, all-terrain
vehicles, etc.
So make safety a part of getting ready for summer fun.
It's also smart to include a visit or call to your insurance
professional to make sure you have the right coverage
to support a fun summer.
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