Staying Safe and Prepared for Life’s Sideswipes

We all want to stay safe and avoid trouble. Life, unfortunately, doesn’t always work out this way. Luckily the majority of these dramatic disruptions don’t amount to much more than bumps and bruises, relatively speaking. Yet it’s always better to be safe than sorry, requiring families to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

What does that entail, exactly? Getting insurance, avoiding risky and reckless behavior, and so on, right? Yes, but there’s a little more to it.

When the military creates a battle plan, they don’t just simply sign off on a big order of supplies and wait for whether the operation is in need of going into effect. They analyze every variable, devise decisions based on multiple contingencies, and ultimately make themselves as prepared as possible for as many outcomes as possible.

Now, families are not a branch of the armed forces, but the idea that simply getting insured and avoiding trouble is enough to smartly safeguard against disaster is fool’s logic in today’s world. Too many variables keep this from being practical. Thinking past the unexpected is required.

For instance, most of us know it’s a no brainer to reach out to a personal injury lawyer in the aftermath of a bad auto accident; failure to do so could result in financial ruin on top of physical trauma. However, are you certain if which one to call? In the hours and days after an accident, when time matters most, the mind is likely not in a place to approach the selection rationally. Planning ahead is key. Californians can bookmark the law offices of Mike Pines, whose reputation extends across the country. Folks in Pennsylvania and elsewhere can track down a similarly outstanding personal injury practice to keep on file in the event they’re needed.

And believe me, the risks of serious accidents are more common than you’d think. We don’t want to scare anybody, but the truth of the matter is that families with motorcycles, ATVs, and similar vehicles in their garages are more likely to experience an automobile accident than others. Think of the risk difference between an exposed egg and one inside a carton.

Fortunately, the dangers of riding alternative vehicles in traffic and off-road are not as bad as they’ve historically been. The Washington Post recently reported the rate of motorcycle accident fatalities has fallen for several years in a row, citing statistics published by the DOT, GHSA, and NHTSA. They owe the drop to a growing number of riders choosing to wear helmets.

Being prepared for the inevitable bumps and bruises of life is a routine part of raising a family. However, these preventative measures require more than being properly insured and telling your kids to watch both ways before crossing the street. They call for an added layer of planning which accounts for the aftermath of these events. Though we can’t predict everything, we can think ahead to do our best to plan accordingly.