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HOW TO PREVENT CRIME, ACCIDENTS, INJURIES
1.0 ACCIDENTS, CRIME AND INJURIES ARE EXPENSIVE
Being
involved in an accident or being the victim of a crime can seriously affect your finances.
For example, accidents in the U.S. cost about $700 per person per year which includes time
lost at work and lost wages. Accidents kill tens of thousands of people and injure
millions.
The
costs of accidents and crime are unplanned expenses. Most victims borrow money to pay for
these. After recuperating money must be found to repay the loan with interest. This loan
might take years to pay off.
Protecting
yourself in simple ways can save you thousands of dollars and the trauma of coping with a
difficult situation.
1.0.1 THE 80-20 RULE
If
you have never heard of the 80-20 rule it goes like this: 20% of the things you can do
will give you 80% of the positive results. Doing the other 80% will only yield another 20%
in benefits. Obviously this is a very rough rule of thumb, but the point is clear: do the
most basic things first because they will do you the most good.
Here
are some examples: 80% of the worst and most violent crimes are committed by 20% of the
criminals. Locking up that 20% would make a big dent in the crime rate.
80%
of automobile pollution is caused by 20% of the cars. Removing those 20% would improve air
quality significantly.
The
same rule applies to safety and security. Taking the most basic precautions (say 20% of
all the things you could do) will protect you 80% of the time.
The
point is while safety and security are very important, you should not go overboard. You
could spend all your waking hours protecting yourself, but then you would never get to
enjoy life.
We
have tried to list the safety measures with the biggest paybacks. You can spend a small
fortune on safety devices for your house or your car, but often these are not necessary
and only complicate your life.
We
have tried to list the most effective but at the same time the simplest and least
expensive things you can do to keep you and your family safe and happy.
You
will naturally think of other things which apply to your particular life style.
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