Surviving when things are tough can be a challenge, but these tips will help prevent you from becoming a statistic. Accidents are the leading cause of death amongst several demographics, including those between 18-59 years old. This is usually unintentional, but you can prevent these from coming about by recognizing the dangers and learning to react quicker. Learning to outsmart different situations can be hard, but here are some tips to help.

First, learn to outsmart wildlife. You may think when you encounter a predator you should hightail it out of there, but the truth is, that can actually trigger predatory instincts. Instead, you should be slow, stop moving, and move behind a tree. That way, you won’t be harmed by an animal. Try to avoid shark-infested waters when you can, and of course, carry repellent pepper spray when you hike. You should give the bear a chance to get away, and try to stay out in the open. You should move through a bush making noise by clapping and shouting to inform the bear you’re not prey.

Then, don’t mess with vending machines. This might seem strange, but people can actually die by these, especially if they try to topple them. They can be a danger, so do be careful when you’re trying to get something and it doesn’t give you what you want.

Also, make sure to stay away from wired docks. This might seem shocking, but it can actually happen if you’re near docks with wires. Electric shock drowning is a form of drowning that happens in some cases, and if there is an electrical system near a dock, sty at least 100 yards away from this, and make sure the dock that you’re nearby follow the safety standards which will help you stay alive.

When driving ATVs, you should always stay on the dirt. ATVs don’t actually do well on roads that aren’t dirt, and that can cause them to flip, which will eject those people immediately, and sometimes this can be a cause for death. A third of these accidents happen on paved roads, and people usually die from this kind of accident. Knobby and soft tires aren’t made for even ground, and they don’t’ work well on pavement. If you must cross, continue on an approved trail and only go straight across in the first gear.

Finally, when you mow the lawn, mow on level. Blades that whir from a lawnmower are an obvious hazard, but most of these deaths come from riding ones that flip over slopes and will crush the drivers. Make sure that you mow up and down on slopes, not sideways. You may wonder how steep is too steep. If you’re unable to back up on the slope don’t mow on that. Simple as that.

Also, make sure that you watch out for head dams. Head dams are there to help regulate water and prevent invasive species, but they can hurt people. You should always be careful near dams, and if near one, curl up, drop towards the bottom, and move forward if you’re caught in it. You should only surface only after you’ve cleared the vortex that’s near a dam.

These accidents aren’t’ common, but they happen enough to create some worry, so make sure you’re careful when you’re doing activities like this.