Power Protection FEATURED ARTICLE

When it comes to what can cause a dreaded power outage, there are certainly a few obvious culprits that come to mind – that little critter who finds his way into utility and power equipment, that annoying thunder and lightning storm that almost always comes in August and leaves you without you A/C in 100 plus degree weather, and that utility provider error which can cause power to drop all over.

But there can also be more unfortunate circumstances such as a traffic accident that can leave thousands without electricity and others with beat up cars, injuries or, even worse, lost loved ones. Such was the case last night when a car crash in Bristol, N.H., left three dead and thousands without power. According to the Bristol Fire Department, the crash happened at about 11 p.m. Monday on Lake Street, which is also known as Route 3A, near Deangelo Drive.

Reports suggest that a car crashed into a power pole which caused the pole to snap and wires to drape across the road. While officers are working to reconstruct the accident to determine what caused it, they are certain that all three drivers were without seatbelts and that speed was most likely a factor. Power crews have been working feverishly the past few hours to restore power to the area and crews were sent to the scene to fix the pole and restore power.

While it might not seem as though car crashes can be likely suspects for power outages, according to Minuteman UPS/Para Systems (News - Alert) – a provider of power protection technologies – traffic accidents are one of the top five unexpected ways that residents and businesses can find themselves in the dark. According to Duston Nixon, marketing communications specialist for Minuteman, if even just one car leaves the roadway because of an accident, this can wreak havoc on the power system. Specifically, in 2009, there were more than 5.5 million car accidents in the United States – or one every 5.7 seconds. The close proximity of utility power equipment to roadways, particularly in cities, leaves business owners very vulnerable, Nixon said.

“Administrators often think of the obvious causes of power outages, which include natural disasters such as lightning, high winds, and earthquakes, when constructing a disaster plan,” Nixon told TMCnet. “While these events usually take the forefront both in people’s minds and in the media, other less expected factors can lead to outages.”

Although losing the power in your home is a pain, as it stops you from being able to work, watch your favorite TV shows and sleep comfortably depending on the season, losing your power at work is disastrous. In fact, 50 percent of companies have had their reputations damaged to some extent by IT outages and downtime can cost a company an average of $150,000 per year. According to industry experts, the average company experiences 14 hours of IT downtime per year, but despite these scary statistics, 28 percent of companies haven't tested their backup plans, and more than three-quarters have found tape backup failures.

So for those companies always wanting to remain up and not stand the chance of losing customers to the competition, you might want to take a peek at Minuteman’s extensive line of power protection solutions so that the next time an unexpected event occurs, you are not left fishing around for that flashlight and hoping that business deal doesn’t fall through.