Knowing what to do to avoid putting yourself in danger is as important as knowing what to do if you find yourself in danger. When dealing with a life threatening situation it's vital to know how to handle it.

Here are some pointers.

Keep It on the Dirt.

On the morning of July 14, 2013, Taylor Fails, 20, turned left in his 2004 Yamaha Rhino ATV at a paved intersection near his Las Vegas–area home. The high-traction tire treads gripped the road and the vehicle flipped, ejecting Fails and a 22-year-old passenger. Fails died at the scene; the passenger sustained minor injuries.

STAT: One-third of fatal ATV accidents take place on paved roads; more than 300 people died in on-road ATV wrecks in 2011.

DO: Ride only off-road. Paul Vitrano, executive vice president of the ATV Safety Institute, says, “Soft, knobby tires are designed for traction on uneven ground and will behave unpredictably on pavement.” In some cases, tires will grip enough to cause an ATV to flip, as in the recent Nevada incident. “If you must cross a paved road to continue on an approved trail, go straight across in first gear.”

Mow on the Level.

Whirring blades are the obvious hazard. But most lawnmower-related deaths result from riding mowers flipping over on a slope and crushing the drivers.

STAT: About 95 Americans are killed by riding mowers each year.

DO: Mow up and down a slope, not sideways along it. How steep is too steep? “If you can't back up a slope, do not mow on it,” Carl Purvis of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission advises.

Keep your Footing.

One mistake is responsible for about half of all ladder accidents: carrying something while climbing.

STAT: More than 700 people die annually in falls from ladders and scaffolding.

DO: Keep three points of contact while climbing; use work-belt hooks, a rope and pulley, or other means to get items aloft.

Ford Carefully.

A shallow stream can pack a surprising amount of force, making fording extremely dangerous. Once you've been knocked off your feet, you can get dragged down by the weight of your gear, strike rocks in the water, or succumb to hypothermia.

STAT: Water-related deaths outnumber all other fatalities in U.S. national parks; no specific statistics are available for accidents while fording streams.

DO: Cross at a straight, wide section of water. Toss a stick into the current; if it moves faster than a walking pace, don't cross. Unhitch waist and sternum fasteners before crossing; a wet pack can pull you under.

Let Leaning Trees Stand.

The motorized blade isn't always the most dangerous thing about using a chain saw. Trees contain enormous amounts of energy that can release in ways both surprising and lethal. If a tree stands at an angle, it becomes top-heavy and transfers energy lower in the trunk. When sawed, it can shatter midcut and create a so-called barber chair. The fibers split vertically, and the rearward half pivots backward. “It's very violent and it's very quick,” says Mark Chisholm, chief executive of New Jersey Arborists.

STAT: In 2012, 32 people died felling trees.

DON'T: Saw into any tree or limb that's under tension.

Stay Warm and Dry.
Cold is a deceptive menace—most fatal hypothermia cases occur when it isn't excessively cold, from 30 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Wet clothes compound the effect of the temperature.

STAT: Hypothermia kills almost 1000 people a year in the U.S.

DO: Wear synthetic or wool clothing, not moisture-trapping cotton. If stranded, conserve heat by stuffing your clothes or shelter with dry leaves.

Climb with Care.

Accidental shootings are an obvious hazard of hunting, but guess what's just as bad: trees. “A tree stand hung 20 feet in the air should be treated like a loaded gun, because it is every bit as dangerous,” says Marilyn Bentz, executive director of the National Bow hunter Educational Foundation. Most tree-stand accidents occur while a hunter is climbing, she says.

STAT: About 100 hunters a year die falling from trees in the U.S. and Canada, a number “equal to or exceeding firearm- related hunting deaths,” Bentz says.

DO: Use a safety harness tethered to the tree when climbing, instead of relying on wooden boards nailed to the tree, which can give way suddenly.

Use Generators Safely.

After Hurricane Sandy, many homeowners used portable generators to replace lost power, leaving the machines running overnight and allowing odorless carbon monoxide to waft inside. The gas induces dizziness, headaches, and nausea in people who are awake, but “when people go to sleep with a generator running, there's no chance for them to realize that something's wrong,” says Brett Brenner, president of the Electrical Safety Foundation International.

STAT: Carbon monoxide from consumer products, including portable generators, kills nearly 200 a year. Of the Sandy-related deaths, 12 were due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

DO: Keep generators more than 20 feet from a house.

Go with the Flow.

The tourist season got off to a grisly start this year in Gulf Shores, Ala. During a two-day period in early June, four men drowned after being caught in rip currents. The unusually strong currents were invisible, not even roiling the surface. Rip currents occur when water rushing back from the shoreline is channeled through a narrow gap between two sand bars, accelerating the outward flow.

STAT: More than 100 Americans drown in rip currents each year.

DO: Allow the current to carry you out beyond the riptide's flow, then swim laterally until you reach a position where you can turn and stroke safely to shore.

Beat the Heat.

A rock formation in Utah called The Wave is remote and beautiful, but also arid and sweltering. This past July a couple hiking the area were found dead after the afternoon heat overwhelmed them. Scarcely three weeks later, a 27-year-old woman collapsed while hiking The Wave with her husband and died before he could get help.

STAT: An average of 675 people die each year in the U.S. from heat-related complications.

DO: Carry lots of fluids, hike in the morning, and let people know where you're going when trekking in the desert.

Obviously, this list is partial. There are many, many more ways you can accidentally maim or kill yourself.

But most of it boils down to possessing self-awareness and basic common sense.

To learn more about hazards that can kill us if we pursue even a casual active lifestyle, check out Popular Mechanics.

Featured Image via Popular Mechanics