This Thanksgiving avoid exploding turkey disasters and Black Friday snafus
November 15, 2012 - According to State Farm® claims data, more cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year. In fact, grease and cooking-related claims more than double on Thanksgiving Day compared to an average day in November.
In 2011, State Farm teamed up with Shatner to produce a short video dramatizing an actual accident where the celebrity was burned in a turkey fryer mishap on Thanksgiving. The docudrama, “Eat, Fry, Love: A Cautionary Tale”, warns people about the dangers of improper turkey frying.
"I love to fry turkey and have been doing it for years but I am not immune to frying accidents," says Shatner. "People need to remember that hot oil and turkey can be a dangerous combination."
To get the safety message out in 2012, State Farm worked with John Boswell, aka melodysheep on YouTube, to auto-tune the Shatner turkey fryer video. Called "Eat, Fry, Love: A Cautionary Remix", Boswell injected the perfect blend of creativity and repetition to create a Thanksgiving safety anthem sure to have families clamoring for a moister, tastier and turkey.
Most turkey fryer fires are preventable. Recognizing common mistakes is a critical step in reducing your risk of a fire or potentially fatal burns.
- More than one-third of fires involving a fryer start in a garage or patio. Cook outdoors at a safe distance from any buildings or trees and keep the fryer off any wooden structures, such as a deck or patio.
- Avoid a hot oil spill over by first filling the pot with cold oil and then lower the thawed turkey into the pot to determine how much oil should be either added or removed.
- Shut off the fuel source or flame when adding the turkey to the hot oil to prevent a dangerous flare-up if oil does spill over the rim.
- Make sure your turkey is properly thawed before lowering it slowly into the pot.
- Never leave a hot turkey fryer unattended.
- Do not use ice or water to cool down oil or extinguish an oil fire.
- Keep an extinguisher approved for cooking or grease fire nearby.
Avoiding Black Friday parking lot snafus
Don't Forget To Safeguard Your Holiday Presents
Whether it's the abundance of shopping or thieves channeling the Grinch, holiday season in the United States brings with it increased vehicle break-ins – especially at shopping malls around the country. To make yours a positive holiday shopping experience, be sure to:
- Keep all receipts in your wallet or purse. Leaving the receipt in the bag makes it difficult for you to prove your purchase, and easy for thieves to return the items for cash.
- Move your vehicle to another spot in the lot if you opt to drop off purchases to your vehicle at a midpoint in your shopping trip. Onlookers will think that you have left the mall, and your vehicle will be less of a target.
- Make sure your purchases are out of sight. Keep them in your trunk or covered in the front or back seats.
- Spread your shopping over several days. You are away from your vehicle for a shorter period of time each day, and shopping becomes less stressful.
Avoiding those parking fender benders
During the holidays, parking lots at malls and supermarkets are packed, increasing the possibility of a fender bender. If you hit, scrape or otherwise damage a parked car – or if you're the victim of such an accident –don't panic. Here are some steps you can take:
If you're the driver
Own up. Don't drive away - if another customer or a surveillance camera spots you, you could be punished for a hit-and-run.
Track down the other car's owner. Head into the store and speak to someone at the customer service desk.
Describe the car to the employee, and have him or her announce it over the store's loudspeaker.
Leave a note. If you're unable to find the other driver, jot down basic information - your name, phone number and a brief explanation of the accident - and place it in a secure spot on the car. Write down the license plate number and take a photo of the damage if you have a camera with you.
Call the police. Depending on how extensive the damage is, you may want to involve the police. They'll document the accident and they can help you find the other car's owner.
If you're the victim
Contact your State Farm® agent. Let him or her know what happened as soon as possible. Your agent will help you determine the next steps.
Record evidence. Take pictures of the damage with your phone or a camera, if you have one on hand.
Take thorough notes. If the other driver is still around, jot down his or her name, address, phone number, driver's license number and insurance company. Gather as much information as possible.
Get backup. Ask others in the parking lot if they witnessed anything. Also head back into the store and find out if they have security camera footage you can check.
Contact
Angie Rinock, State Farm Public Affairs, (269) 384-8561
About State Farm®
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.
