SafetySkills is offering the public not only important safety tips to keep you and your family safe while traveling this holiday season, but also their Hazardous Driving Conditions course completely free of charge (http://safetyskills.com/winter-driving).

Here are some tips to keep your road trip as smooth as possible.

1. Check the weather and know how to drive in bad weather safely before going out.

75% of winter weather related deaths are due to driving in dangerous weather. Only venture out it bad weather if you have to and take SafetySkills Hazardous Driving course free at http://safetyskills.com/winter-driving.

2. Winterize your vehicle.

Make sure all vehicle maintenance is up to date and stock your vehicle full of self-sustainable technologies and supplies (first aid kit, blankets, bottled water, flashlights, etc.)

3. Pay Attention.

Don’t get distracted. Driver distraction is becoming the most dangerous issue affecting the roads today. In 2008, 500,000 car accidents and 6,000 deaths were caused by driver distraction. Combine a distracted driver with hazardous weather and you have got a huge problem on your hands.

4. Never drink and drive.

There is really isn’t much need to elaborate. Everyone knows that driving while intoxicated impairs your judgement and reaction time. Just don’t do it.

5. Drive as much as possible when the sun is shining.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Safety Council (NSC), driving deaths are 3 times more likely to occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Try to travel during the day as much as possible.

SafetySkills has provided the public with these safety tips for the kitchen:

Never leave food unattended while cooking.

The number one cause of kitchen fires is leaving cooking food unattended.

Keep all flammable objects away from heat sources.

Roll up long sleeves and keep all cloth items (pot holders, dishtowels, etc.) away from the stove and oven.

Limit the number of people in the kitchen.

Only fit as many people in the kitchen as there is space to work safely. Too many people can cause accidents and items to be knocked over, starting a fire.

Keep your kitchen clean.

Leftover food and grease can easily catch fire in burners, ovens, pots and pans.

Work carefully with grease and oil.

Grease fires can start and grow rapidly the hotter they get. Watch the temperature and put out a grease fire by smothering it with lids to pots and pans. Never use water to put out a grease fire, water will make the fire spread.

If a fire starts, call 911.

If your home fire extinguisher can’t do the trick when needing to put out a fire, immediately call 911 and evacuate.

It’s safe to say that when you think of Black Friday, you think about tons of sales to save you money on holiday shopping. Unfortunately, some of these savings come with a high price. Last year on Black Friday a Wal-Mart security guard was trampled to death by overly eager shoppers trying to make the most out of the potential savings that awaited them. This particular incident received news coverage all over the U.S. and even internationally in hopes of getting people to realize that no amount of financial savings is worth someone’s life.

But apparently not everyone got the message. There have been multiple reports of violent incidents occurring across the country just to save a buck. In a Sheboygan, Wisconsin Wal-Mart this morning police were called in a scuffle broke out over discounted GPS units. Another case in Centennial, Colorado Toys ‘R’ Us resulted in a 78-year-old woman being thrown to the floor. 14 Police patrol cars were called to another Toys ‘R’ Us in Jantzen Beach, Oregon when a physicla dispute took place amongst 100 shoppers who had been waiting since midnight.

Shoppers also need to be aware of the added risk that lies ahead of them on the road. Contrary to popular belief  the most dangerous holiday to be driving is not New Years’ but actually Thanksgiving. This is not that surprising when you put all elements into consideration and can be used when driving during the rest of the holiday season:

• Hazardous weather conditions
• Rushing for time = Speeding
• Celebrations = Drinking and Driving
• Overall courtesy that is shown during the holiday time on the road = Road Rage
• Driver Distraction

The one thing to learn from all of this is that Thanksgiving is a time to show gratitude for what you have, not to hurt others in order to get what you want.