Just about every part of our lives involves some kind of risk management. Whether it has to do with health, traffic, crime, or weather, there is always some risk associated with everything we do. Some risks are acceptable, some are not. Some people manage risks effectively, others seem overwhelmed by them.
Non-riders used to criticize the "risks" they thought we were taking by riding dirt bikes. In actuality, the highest risks were driving the freeways to get to our riding areas, very much like the risks they took driving to work everyday!
Have you ever seen the 4-quadrant risk management chart? That may seem like a trick question because there are more than 1 4-quadrant risk management charts around, with different charts designed to focus on different aspects of your life. The one I've found most useful is not related to any particular business or endeavor. It applies to evaluating ANY kind of risk. The four quadrants are: 1) High risk/low frequency, 2) High risk/high frequency, 3) Low risk/high frequency. and 4) Low risk/low frequency, in order of decreasing risk
High risk/low frequency are those activities which we seldom do but have a high cost if something goes wrong, This is where we are most likely to encounter problems because we don't face the situations often enough to develop good skills or procedures for handling them. High risk/low frequency events often underlie serious failures even by highly trained professionals.
High risk/high frequency are those activities which do have a high cost of failure but we encounter them often enough to develop effective procedures and skills for dealing with them. For that reason, they represent a lower risk than high risk/low frequency problems.
Low risk/high frequency activities are next in line. Because they are low risk we don't have as much to lose, even if they are high frequency. Plus the high frequency tends to give us experience in dealing better with these situations.
Low risk/low frequency activities are the lowest priority, simply because there isn't very much as stake and it isn't very likely to happen. However, the low frequency may mean we are less likely to be adequately prepared to deal with these kinds of situations.
And, yes, there is a sort of a conflict between the ratings of high and low risk versus high and low frequency. High risk/low frequency is more likely to cause us grief because the cost is high and our lack of familiarity with the situation significantly reduces our ability to handle things successfully. While you might think the same logic should be applied to low risk/low frequency events, the combination of minimal cost and minimal exposure combine to give make this category of less concern.
I have a personal standard for risk measurement. When evaluating any decision I ask myself if either the cost or probability of failure is high. If either the cost of failure or the likelihood of failure high for a given choice, that choice should be discarded. I figure that if the cost is high enough it doesn't matter how low the probability is, I don't want to take that chance Likewise, if the likelihood of an unacceptable outcome is high, no matter how low the cost, it might not be a good choice.
Outdoor recreational activities, such as RVing, OHVing, boating, and camping, like everything else we do, have some risk associated with them. A lot of the risk of RVing, boating, and OHVing is associated with driving or operating our vehicles. Risks of camping usually involve weather, accidents, or illness. Regardless of what the risks are, there are always ways to mitigate the risks to minimize our chances of being injured or suffering a loss.
Vehicle risks can be mitigated by proper maintenance, appropriate and legal use, adequate insurance, and using proper personal protective equipment.
Camping risks can be avoided by careful planning, keeping eye on the weather, and through safe camping and campfire practices.
Boating risks can be minimized by following regulations, having required safety equipment, and wearing appropriate Personal Flotation Devices (e.g., life jackets).
Overall, the more we participate in a particular activity, the better prepared we are to deal with anything bad that may happen. But, of course, doing some more frequently also exposes us to more opportunities for this to go wrong, especially if we aren't conscientious about doing things safely and correctly. We always need to make sure we aren't developing bad habits. ALWAYS follow appropriate safety procedures and obey laws, rules, and regulations to prevent accidents and avoid litigation,
For anything you chose to do, examine the potential risks and determine if they are acceptable, or if there is anything you can do to make them acceptable, before proceeding.
Stay safe!
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