Sometimes we take safety when mowing our lawn for granted because we do it so often. Here are some tips for keeping everyone safer while mowing:

1) Do a walk-through
Elements in your lawn can change often, especially over the winter. Before you mow your lawn just take a few minutes to walk around and check for rocks that may have surfaced somehow or that ball that you couldn’t find the last time you played catch with your kids.

2) Clear the yard…of everything
Make sure you clear the yard completely of children and pets. We know that the mower isn’t going that fast but remember that anything can happen at any time. You should discuss lawnmower safety with your children so they know all the rules as well.

3) Know your mower
Read the manual. Does the mower have a kill switch if you lift your butt off the seat or if your hands come off the handles of a push mower?   Making sure the switches still work is an important element of maintaining your equipment.

4) Wear protective clothing
You never know when that tree will move and hit you in the face. You should wear something over your eyes such as goggles or sunglasses. Also when riding a mower, be sure to have on good shoes that won’t accidentally slip off the pedal.

5) Keep your mower off the pavement
Keeping your mower off the pavement is essential in making sure that objects you don’t immediately spot, such as large rocks, aren’t flung at high speed. These will not be kind to your windows.