Holiday Safety Message Published Dec. 16, 2015 By Dan Salinas 49th Wing Safety HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- The holiday season is a time of joy and celebrations. Children and families eagerly anticipate extra fun and special occasions. During the Christmas and New Year holiday season, a lot of you will be traveling around the country to visit your loved ones. While it is a time of joy and renewed contact with friends and family, just a moment of inattention, or an unsafe act can turn a festive activity into one of tragedy and loss. As you all know, the task of driving has its own set of inherent hazards, not to mention the fact that it gets dark much quicker during the fall and winter months, increasing the potential for mishaps. Many people are unaware of the hazards of night driving, or don't know how to mitigate them. I would like to share with you all a few safety tips while driving during the night or day. - Prepare the car for night driving. Clean headlights, taillights, signal lights and windows at least once a week, more often if necessary. - Have headlights properly aimed. Misaimed headlights blind other drivers and reduce your ability to see the road. - Reduce speed and increase your following distance. Judging other vehicles speed and distances is more difficult at night. - Wear your seatbelt and put down your cell phone when you are driving. In closing, I would like you all to remember that preparations and celebrations for Christmas and New Years have begun and brings with them an array of hazards and risks. Drinking and driving, stress and other mishaps are the most common. Enjoy the holidays and do your part to keep them fun and safe.