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Every year there are thousands cases of fires and safety issues over Christmas. Here’s our top Christmas safety tips to help prevent your festivities being cut short:  

• Don’t leave burning candles unattended, make sure you put them out before going to bed and do not put candles on Christmas trees
• If you have old Christmas lights, seriously consider buying new ones, which will meet much higher safety standards. Keep the lights switched off until the Christmas tree is decorated, don’t let children play with lights, and remember to switch off the lights when going out of the house or going to bed
• Have scissors handy to open packaging, so you’re not tempted to use a knife, and have screwdrivers at the ready to assemble toys
• Beware of trailing cables and wires in the rush to connect new gadgets and appliances, and always read instructions
• Falls are the most common accidents so try to keep clutter to a minimum. Make sure stairs are well-lit and free from obstacles, especially if you have guests
• Plan New Year fireworks well in advance and follow the Firework Safety Code
• Test your smoke alarm(s) before putting your tree/lights up. Have you seen how quickly a dry tree can catch fire? Please make sure you are extra careful as you take off all your decorations and lights – it is scary what can happen in 60 seconds!

  Merry Christmas from all at M&J

As we get into the season of cheer and winter months M&J want to bring you some safety tips.

There are 3 basic principles: Drive safely – Look after your vehicle – Watch out in low winter sun.

Drive Safely: It is easy to forget the risks we take whilst driving, especially if you are in a rush to get to your destination. It's not worth it, especially when winter weather increases the dangers to you, your passengers, other drivers, and pedestrians. Driving safely in winter can be as simple as sticking with the basics: 

• Allow time to demist your windscreen and clear all vehicle windows to ensure you have full visibility before setting off.
• Drive and brake to suit the weather conditions.
• Allow enough distance between you and other road users.

Did you know that stopping distances increase by up to 10 times in the snow and ice?

Looking after your vehicle: It is easy to think that because your vehicle has been running fine up until now, that nothing needs doing to it before winter sets in. Although, something as small as low tyre pressure can have a huge impact on your ability to stop in an emergency. So, always be prepared.
Make sure your vehicle is ready for winter by carrying out these simple checks:

• Tyre pressure (refer to your vehicle manual).
• Tread depth.
• Wipers (make sure that they effectively clear the screen). finger scrape any frost or ice off beforehand.
• Windscreen washers (check they are working, and fluids are topped up.
• Lights (check they are all working and clean).
• Engine coolant (check level of anti-freeze).
• Keep de-icer, an ice scraper and warm hi-vis clothing in your vehicle.

Watch out in low winter sun: The low winter sun can dazzle even the most confident and experienced drivers. The glare can easily impair your vision and cause you to miss signs and lights, or pedestrians crossing the road. If you can’t see very well, chances are that other road users can’t either. To help avoid the dangers of low winter sun:

• Reduce your speed or stop all together.
• Wear sunglasses in bright sunlight.
• Make sure your windscreen and all vehicle windows are clean, both inside and out.

Did you know sun glare has contributed to an average of 28 road deaths per year in the UK since 2010. This includes pedestrians.

We do hope you have found that useful.