Enjoy a Safe and Sane Fourth

Have fun on the holiday, but do it safely for yourself and your loved ones  Back at the turn of the 20th century, editorial writers would implore their readers to make the Fourth of July “safe and sane.” Americans, especially the young men, would use the Fourth as an excuse to go on a rampage through their communities, vandalizing both public and private property starting at midnight. Times have changed and Americans do not act in quite the same way, but all too often we still engage in behavior that places ourselves and others at risk. The use of fireworks is illegal in Massachusetts and for good reason. Every year at this time, there is a steady parade to hospital emergency rooms of those who have been injured by fireworks ranging from minor burns to lost eyes and worse. Yet, people use fireworks, and allow their children to use them, as if it is no big deal. The abuse of alcohol in this country also is rampant during the holiday. In the summer season it is magnified by those who drink on beaches and on boats in the misguided belief that those are safe places where they can overindulge. Yet each year, there will be drownings and boating accidents which will leave all too many of our fellow Americans dead or seriously injured for no good reason other than that these people were in search of a good time. So for the sake of yourself, your loves ones, and your friends, do not become another statistic over what promises to be a long holiday weekend.