Regardless of the weather, Memorial Day means summer is here! While you celebrate and remember the men and women who served our country, please keep these safety tips in mind.

1) Keep your picnic food safe. Remember to not let food sit out too long, especially if it is hot outside. Refrigerate foods after about an hour to be safe. If you don’t have access to a refrigerator, at least put food on ice in a portable, insulated cooler. Also, keep uncooked meat away from other food to avoid cross-contamination from bacteria and make sure you cook meat to the proper temperature.

2) Don’t forget the sunscreen and watch out for signs of heat stroke. Sunscreen should be SPF 15 or higher and reapplied several times through the day. Wear a light colored hat to help block the heat from the sun and drink lots of water. It’s a good idea to periodically spend some time in a cool place, but if you begin to feel faint or nauseous, get out of the sun and into a cool place right away.

3) Drive safely. First of all make sure that you are well rested before starting your drive. Put someone else in charge of the phone. Your job is to drive. Slow down in construction zones, even if you don’t see any workers at the site. Road conditions in work zones are often not ideal and barriers can move out of position and become dangerous obstacles. Also, leave the tailgating for the football games. Maintain a good distance behind the car ahead of you even if you have a newer car with automatic breaking. Lastly, never, ever drink and drive.

Here are some more tips to stay safe and out of the ER.

Have a safe and Happy Memorial Day from David A. Axelrod & Associates