Cherokee Lions Club Safety Newsletter

Vol. 2-2003 - 25 March 2003

Home Incident - Kitchen - Dangerous Situation - I left the dishwasher door down after unloading the dishes.  Later I rounded the corner in a hurry looking up at the microwave and did not see the door.  Tripped and bruised leg.

Road Incident - Dangerous Situation - Traveling west on 72 Highway west of Cherokee approaching the Natchez Trace, I moved into the turn lane to enter the Trace.  As a pickup was leaving the trace (to go west on 72), he pulled directly in front of me as I was turning.  I had the right of way but yielded to him.  Had I not, there would have been a serious wreck.  This same situation, at the same place, has happened to me several times before.  Apparently some people think that a car entering the main highway has the right of way over a turning car.  That is not the case.

Road Incident - Dangerous Situation - I was meeting a car on a narrow two lane road as the car was making a right turn.  To make the turn faster the driver of the other car swerved into my lane of traffic to round out his turn.  I had to leave the pavement to avoid hitting him. 

Road Incident - Dangerous Situation - I picked up litter along the road in front of my house and found that almost half the items are beer cans!  I hope these are from the passengers in cars and not the drivers.  It might be worth while to mention that traffic stops have shown that a significant percentage of drivers are under the influence of alcohol, especially on weekends and evenings.

Dr. Susan Daily gave a report on the "West Nile" virus at the last meeting.  Below is brief review for members who were not at the meeting..

CDC in Atlanta is anticipating an early appearance of the virus after being dormant during the winter.  The virus spread across the US far quicker than was anticipated and it is felt that it will be present in almost the entire country this summer.  It has already reached Alabama.

The virus is spread by mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds that then feed on a human.  The most common carrier in this area is a striped mosquito often referred to as a "Zebra Mosquito." 

The virus is most dangerous to the young and elderly.  Symptoms are similar to influenza but may be more severe, especially to the young and elderly.  

To avoid the virus, avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.  Wear clothes that cover skin and apply a bug repellent such as DEET to thin clothing and to exposed skin.  Use caution in applying DEET to skin, especially in young children because it is absorbed through the skin.  Also, avoid being out doors in the early morning, late afternoon, and evening when Mosquitoes feed.

Minimize the number of mosquitoes around your yard by eliminating breeding places. The most common breeding place for mosquitoes is stagnant water that collects in cans, abandoned tires, and other containers that can trap rain water; eliminate as many of these as possible.  Empty flower basins and bird feeders several times a week and add biological controls (fish) to ponds.

The Four "D"s of avoiding mosquitoes:
DUSK/DAWN are the times of day you should try to stay indoors. This is when infected mosquitoes are most active.	DRESS in long sleeves and pants when you're outside. For extra protection, you may want to spray thin clothing with repellent.	DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) is an ingredient to look for in your insect repellent. Follow label instructions, and always wear repellent when outdoors.	DRAIN standing water in your backyard and neighborhood – old tires, flowerpots, and clogged rain gutters. These are mosquito breeding sites.

Participate in our Safety Program: Remember - If you did not turn in an incident report, you deprived other members of an opportunity to learn from your observations and experiences. If you were not watching for incidents, you missed the opportunity to learn from a near miss or unsafe practice. Just watching for "accidents waiting to happen" will make you a safer person.

Give your incident report to David or Jona at the next meeting or e.mail to jona@trulovestyle or call 370-7910 and leave the message you would like to see appear in the next newsletter. Just make a short description of risky situation you see like the ones at the beginning of this newsletter.

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