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Top risks to avoid and mitigate
These are the key avoidable risks that could impact your survival and wellbeing in the next few years.
🚗 Car & Pedestrian Accidents
The #1 daily threat most people underestimate. Deep research report
Top Risk Factors:
- Speeding (29% of all traffic deaths)
- Impaired driving (alcohol/drugs caused 32% of deaths)
- Not wearing seatbelts (50% of vehicle occupant deaths)
- Distracted driving/walking (especially phone use)
- Nighttime walking (80% of ped deaths occur at night)
- Crossing without a crosswalk (75% of ped deaths)
Best Mitigation Strategies:
- Drive less when possible
- Buy a car with top safety ratings
- Avoid high-risk driving times (night, bad weather)
- Make phones inaccessible while driving
- Never drive impaired (alcohol, drugs, tired)
- Wear bright/reflective clothing when walking at night
- Always use crosswalks and make eye contact with drivers
💊 Overdose
Not just street drugs: a risk that crosses all demographics. Deep research report
Risk Factors:
- Fentanyl contamination (68% of all overdoses)
- Mixing depressants (opioids, benzos, alcohol) which multiplies respiratory depression
- Using drugs alone with no one to help if overdose occurs
- Loss of tolerance after periods of abstinence
Mitigation Strategies:
- Test everything not from a pharmacy for fentanyl
- Never mix depressants (pick one: opioids, benzos, OR alcohol)
- Keep naloxone (Narcan) and know how to use it
- Never use substances alone - use a buddy system
- Start with very small amounts of any substance to gauge potency
- Consider medication-assisted treatment (MAT) if at risk of opioid overdose
- Secure and properly dispose of unused medications
🧠 Suicide
A preventable tragedy with clear warning signs. Deep research report
Risk Factors:
- Access to lethal means (esp firearms - 90% fatality rate)
- Mental health conditions (depression, bipolar, anxiety)
- Social isolation and loneliness (5× higher risk)
- Substance abuse (1 in 4 suicides involve alcohol)
- Previous suicide attempts (40× higher risk)
- Chronic pain or illness
- Acute crisis events (job loss, breakup, financial ruin)
Mitigation Strategies:
- Restrict access to lethal means (secure firearms, medications)
- Treat depression and mental illness proactively
- Maintain strong social ties (have regular check-ins)
- Limit alcohol and drug use during emotional crises
- Create a safety plan with trusted contacts
- Ask directly about suicidal thoughts - it reduces risk
- Follow up consistently with at-risk individuals
- Cultivate purpose and future-oriented thinking
- Know warning signs (giving away possessions, talking about death)
- In emergencies, call 988 (US) and don't leave them alone
💥️ Violence & Intentional Harm
Situational awareness can save your life. Deep research report
Highest Risk Factors:
- Intimate partner violence (33% of female homicides)
- Arguments escalating to deadly violence (20% of murders)
- Firearms in volatile relationships (5× homicide risk)
- High-crime areas, especially at night
- Being visibly distracted in public (easy target)
- Getting involved in confrontations with strangers
Highest-ROI Prevention:
- Protect yourself (weapon, pepper spray, taser, etc.)
- Exit unsafe relationships at the first sign of physical abuse
- Practice situational awareness (eyes up, scan surroundings)
- De-escalate or disengage from all confrontations
- Avoid high-risk locations and times
- If robbed, comply - possessions are replaceable, you aren't
- In public emergencies: Run if possible, hide if necessary
🦠 Infections
Invisible risks with practical solutions. Deep research report
Highest Risk Factors:
- Respiratory infections: 230,000+ US deaths annually
- Sepsis: Starts as normal infection, kills 350,000/year
- Antibiotic resistance: Already 35,000 US deaths yearly
- Foodborne illness: Hospitalizes 128,000 Americans annually
- Next pandemic: 25% chance in next decade
Mitigation Strategies:
- Annual flu shot + COVID boosters (90% reduction in death risk)
- $200 HEPA filter in bedroom (cuts airborne transmission 50%+)
- Cook meat to 165°F; refrigerate leftovers within 1 hour
- Stock 10 N95 masks & 1-month supplies before shortages hit
- Infections getting worse? Seek treatment immediately
❤️ Heart Disease & Stroke
The #1 killer that's 80% preventable with the right tactics. Deep research report
Highest Risk Factors:
- Uncontrolled high blood pressure (50% of heart deaths)
- Smoking (2-4× risk, causes 25% of all CVD deaths)
- High LDL cholesterol (feeds artery-blocking plaque)
- Diabetes/prediabetes (doubles to quadruples risk)
- Abdominal obesity (2nd biggest population risk)
- Physical inactivity (damages vessels directly)
- Poor sleep (<6hrs/night raises risk significantly)
Highest-ROI Prevention:
- Quit smoking (risk drops 50% in 3-5 years)
- Know & control your BP (each 10mmHg drop = 20% less risk)
- Mediterranean diet cuts heart attacks/strokes by 30%
- Exercise 150+ min/week (25% lower death risk)
- Take statins if high-risk (25% fewer events)
- Lose 5-10% body weight if overweight (improves all factors)
- Consider CAC scan (detects hidden plaque buildup)
- Get 7-9 hours quality sleep (reduces arterial damage)
- Know warning signs & call 911 immediately if suspected
How to prepare
Essential preparations to increase your resilience and adaptability in the face of rapid technological change.
📻 Be Informed
Maintaining situational awareness and staying informed during periods of potential instability.
- Develop situational awareness and threat assessment skills
- Follow reliable news sources and emergency broadcasts
- Keep a battery-powered or hand-crank emergency radio
- Learn basic self-defense techniques
- Understand legal personal protection options in your jurisdiction
- Secure your living space with appropriate locks and security measures
- Consider non-lethal defensive tools where legal and appropriate
🏙️ Exit Plan
Developing contingency plans for temporarily or permanently relocating from dense urban areas if necessary.
- Identify multiple evacuation routes from your city
- Establish relationships or accommodations in rural or less densely populated areas
- Maintain a ready-to-go emergency pack with essentials
- Practice occasional trips using your exit routes
- Consider transportation options that don't rely on public infrastructure
🥫 Food/Water
Ensuring you have essential sustenance to weather periods of disruption or scarcity.
- Maintain a rotating stock of non-perishable food (minimum 2-week supply)
- Store potable water (1 gallon per person per day for at least 2 weeks)
- Learn basic water purification techniques
- Consider growing some of your own food with container gardening
- Stock essential nutritional supplements
💵 Financial
Building financial resilience to withstand economic volatility during technological transitions.
- Develop multiple income streams (side businesses, freelance work)
- Maintain emergency cash reserves (3-6 months of expenses)
- Consider diversification across asset classes (stocks, bonds, real estate)
- Acquire skills that will remain valuable during technological disruption
- Reduce dependence on centralized financial systems
🤝 Community
Establishing strong social networks and support systems for mutual assistance during transition periods.
- Know your neighbors and their unique skills/resources
- Participate in local community organizations and events
- Join or establish mutual aid networks in your area
- Build relationships with people who have diverse capabilities (medical, technical, practical)
- Practice community resilience through shared projects