At last, it’s the time of the year everyone looks forward to – summer time! While summer can be an exciting time to travel to new places, spend time with friends and family, or explore your local neighborhood, it’s important to keep your safety a priority at all times.

By using these 5 summer safety tips, you can enjoy your long summer days while ensuring the safety of yourself, and the others around you.

Stay Hydrated

As the temperatures start rising in the summer, it’s easy to get hit with dehydration. Whether you are playing ball outside, traveling, or simply soaking up the sun outside, you’ll need to stay hydrated at all times despite your level of physical activity.

Although water intake varies on every body type, Mayo Clinic recommends about 15.5 cups of fluids for men and 11.5 cups of fluid for women a day. Of course, you could never go wrong with drinking more.

So, don’t forget to drink water throughout the day!

Sun Protection

No one enjoys a painful sunburn! Protect your skin from the sun’s strong ultraviolet rays. When you’re exposed to the sun for long periods of time, it can have negative effects on your skin. Not only can you get sunburns, but also can damage your skin leading to various skin diseases.

Protect yourself by applying sunscreen daily. Be sure to especially apply before going outside with sunscreen that has a minimum value in SPF of 30.

Drive Carefully

It’s no surprise that summertime is a more dangerous time on the road. School is out, more kids are outside playing on the streets, and more teenagers are driving on the road.

As exciting as it can be for them, it’s overall more danger for the rest of us. For a summer safety tip, drive carefully by being more aware of your surroundings and always driving at the appropriate speed limit. The last thing you want is to end up in a car accident because of being distracted.

Aside from that, summer temperatures can be dangerous for your vehicle. Extremely warm weather can cause your engine to overheat, and even your tires to blow out in some cases. Nothing says buzzkill more than a broken-down car on your summer road trip. According to lawyers, do your due diligence and be sure to keep up with your car maintenance, especially in this time of the year to avoid any problems.

Drink Responsibly

Nothing says summertime more than laying out by the pool with a fresh, ice cold beer in hand. As warm weather approaches, you’ll probably find yourself indulging in outdoor games and activities where alcohol may be present.

Knowing how to drink responsibly is important for yourself and others around you to avoid any potential accidents!

Get a Ride Home

If you have the intent to drink alcohol when you leave your house, be mindful that driving anywhere is out of the question. Get a ride home with a designated driver. This may be a trusted friend, family member, or an Uber driver.

If you do decide to order an Uber ride, make sure the vehicle picking you up matches the driver and vehicle information on the app.

Eat Before You Drink

Have a meal before sipping on your alcoholic beverage. When your food is in your stomach, it slows down the process of alcohol-absorbing into your bloodstream.

Slow Your Alcohol Intake

Drink your alcohol at a slow pace. Consuming a great amount of alcohol at a speeded rate can have dangerous effects on your body, such as causing your blood alcohol content to increase significantly. Balance yourself with spreading out your alcohol intake in periods of time, substituting water or juice in between those periods to maintain hydration.

Don’t Leave Children or Pets Unattended in a Car On Hot Days

You may be running errands throughout your day with the presence of a child or pet, for example, in your vehicle. Even if you are just running a quick errand of going to the store, it’s crucial to not leave a child or pet in your car, especially on a hot day.

A parked car in the sun can reach extremely dangerous temperatures inside in a short matter of time. This can easily turn into a life-threatening situation to a vulnerable child or pet.

Summer Safety

Going forward, pledge to make this summer the summer of keeping safety a top priority in your everyday life. Enjoy your time off by spending time with your loved ones or exploring new sights while having these safety tips for summer in mind.