Choosing the best of the best for you

Keeping you and your family safe over summer

When summer kicks off in New Zealand, so does the DIY and outdoor life that is an ingrained part of Kiwi culture.

Having the right levels of health insurance, income insurance and life insurance is an important part of caring for yourself and your family, but unlike a new bike or paddleboard they are a purchase you hope not to use. This means whatever your holiday plans, it is important to be aware of what you can do to keep you and your family safe.

Keeping children safe over summer

Keeping children safe is an obvious priority for parents all year round, but summer comes with unique hazards.

• Who is watching the kids? When you have a large group of friends and family together it can be so easy to assume someone else is watching the children. The simple act of communicating “I’m popping inside now, so you are in charge of watching the children,” can literally be a lifesaver.

• Driveways. All parents know that driveways are a major hazard for children. With summer guests, and groups of families and friends congregating at the bach there is a lot more coming and going. There can also be different people looking after the children (including some who may have forgotten just how fast a toddler can move), and time spent in different houses without the safe set-up and routines of home. If you are visiting a house with children, or someone is visiting you with theirs, make sure you know where everyone is before any car moves.

• Water. Swimming in the pool, a lake, a river, or the sea is such an integral part of summer for kiwi kids, and going out on a boat is a real treat. Remember to supervise children at all times, know the nature of the water before you enter (how deep it is, how strong the current is and so on) and know your child’s limits. Watersafe has some great tips for any water activity.

Avoiding food poisoning

Summer brings warm, moist conditions – the ideal environment for pathogens to multiply quickly and cause food poisoning. This means you need to take special care when preparing, cooking, and storing food. Follow the clean, cook, cover and chill rules; and take extra care, especially when barbecuing.  

The Ministry for Primary Industries have some great tips for avoiding food poisoning.

Avoiding exercise injuries

Whether the panic of impending swimsuit season after a cosy winter of inactivity, or a New Year’s resolution to get fit, summer finds plenty of people leaping unprepared into a new exercise regimen.

While improving your fitness is a great idea for your long-term health, to avoid injury it pays to be sensible about how you start– this also increases your chances of meeting your goals.

• If you have any pre-existing health conditions or injuries, you need to speak to your GP or physio before you start a new exercise programme
• Start gradually; don’t try and make your first run in five years 10 kilometres. Starting slowly not only reduces your chance of injury, but increases the likelihood you’ll keep at it
• Warm up. This is a key feature of staying injury free. ACC Sportsmart has some good warmups to get you started
• To help you stay on track, make a programme, stick to it and mix it up with different exercises

Safe DIY

New Zealanders love to indulge in a bit of home improvement around the house or the bach during the summer holidays. And ACC hears a lot about it when things don’t go quite according to plan.

Before you crack into a new project check out ACC’s prevention tips here.

Safer Road trips

For lots of people summer means more time travelling on roads that are less familiar. Time with the in-laws isn’t the worst hazard of a summer road trip. AA has four key tips on their website for safe driving.

Most pertinent to summer road trips are minimising distractions, which means putting some thought into keeping kids entertained and fed, and being aware of your own tiredness. This takes planning; when you will travel, who will drive and when you will take breaks.

Share the load and be aware of when you are starting to struggle. There is no harm in stopping for an impromptu ice cream or brief walk on the beach, to wake yourself up and give your passengers a break too.

Remember to slip, slop, slap and wrap and have a wonderful – and safe – summer. If you want to make sure your insurance is up to date, or need to make a claim do get in touch.