From Whippings to Whirlwind Emergencies and Wondering What It All Means

 There are moments in time that seem a movie is being made. A profound coming together of forces seemingly 'beyond one's control' or an interaction between people, places, forces of nature that take one's life 'off course' and on a new path. Sometimes a life is put in danger, maybe more than one. Sometimes a life is ended, accidentally, in defense or intentionally (given the circumstances..or again the conditions.)

A few stories that inspired this challenging alarming title include a father whipping his teen son way back in the day for taking his younger brother by horseback into town and crossing a river in dangerous waters, almost losing their lives. That was not allowed and the younger son conveyed the story to me many decades later. That teen's whipping likely would speak volumes to many today, to realize we often take risks we know we really shouldn't and put others in harm's way if not cause someone's passing. No one expects someone to be whipped but actually that likely happens more than we realize in some circles.

Maybe it's a carryover from harder times and a basic way people act out that sense of 'teaching someone a lesson they will never forget or getting justice.' That kind of old school rule is one that is the brunt of many discussion in  parenting circles. In schools, The Whipping Boy tells of a rich boy who did wrong but was not allowed to be punished. Instead they found a poor boy his age that whose job was to take the whipping. 

The idea of a person doing a crime but someone else doing the time is one that again plays out in modern times. That can be anything from scapegoating, saying a person caused someone to hurt them or rob them. Victim blaming costs many their lives whether due to their national or religious laws or them being convinced that they were to blame for someone's wrongdoing. All of these matters need to come into the light so they can be better understood and addressed on many levels. 

If walking with someone they may be in a hurry and not feel they should take precautions to check whether a parked truck is about to move. Heads up, that can happen. If the two people are pushing baby strollers they may both be in harm's way. If the truck starts to back up, the beeping sound does not happen automatically. One or both people may need to yell out to alert the driver if possible. If there are people next to the driver and the window is down, the message may get there in the milliseconds that it needs to in order to do any good. Lives that could be lost could be saved. Injuries and lawsuits could be avoided.

However if the pedestrians had thought to cross a good 10-20 feet behind the parked truck or even sought out to find if it were about to move, all the better to have a safer boundary and game plan to cross the street. We do not need to be chicken but we may need to be wiser than normal. A truck or car backing up near others could voluntarily beep their horn twice then wait and beep twice more to alert others 10 seconds later that they are backing up.

This simple 'heads up' of two beeps could catch on readily and voluntarily. In addition, having a third person, even a passerby but ideally a team member, stand on the side walk to alert pedestrians would be helpful. Similarly if someone is driving a machine through the streets that has to keeep up it's speed to not stall out, a biker or other person a car could drive ahead. Likely a volunteer traffic safety group would join forces to do this, especially in the city but even in rural areas or on the highway.

When slowing down on a highway be mindful that someone could be texting or otherwise not paying attention and could careen into your car. Use a hand motion or if it could be legal, get a flag to wave (orange flourscent etc) to wave out the driver window to hopefully alert others and  to help someone realize you are slowing down is my basic advice. Don't quote me but even a police cruiser with flashing lights was hit so clearly we need more consideration about how to slow people down safely when they are 'cruisin' down the highway.' Ideally the "55 Saves Lives" motto would be honored and recognized as a valuable public safety standard.

Anyone 'coming to the rescue' by car or ambulance would benefit from wearing seatbelts (and not getting tossed about in the back for instance) and could help alert people by blowing their horn as they near the area and pulling in to help people clear the way. If someone is in danger or thinking of rescuing someone they may get the signal from the car horn (or even a car alarm type device being activated which could be heard over loud rushing water for instance). Those kinds of devices could be sold to help find people who are lost or a drone could possibly assist with signalling that help is nearby and even videotaping events.

If someone is at risk of dying, whether due to being high risk athlete or having serious medical issues, a sperm or egg donation may be of interest. This aspect of the post is not to make light of anyone's beliefs or worry people but to again spark meaningful conversation. I do not know the costs but the overall idea that many young men are at risk for harm has become more apparent to many in even our modern world.

Speaking with people of faith, ethics and medical professional and other training may be important and helpful on many levels to consider 'in advance' much like 'an advance or health directive' about whether one would want to be able to have one's egg or sperm used to create a life if one's life ended before that was an option. While that kind of  action can be done possibly when one is on life support or under difficult circumstances, it may be helpful to consider 'well in advance' for oneself as an adult and even with one's children as they approach teen years, I am not sure of the costs associated but it could be helpful in terms of feeling people had 'faced important decisions in meaningful ways.' 

The overall point of this post which I have written (as I do most) in one fell swoop after talking with a friend or two (and seeing youtubes and seeing plays and how things have played out in my life and that of many others in small communities and more recently in larger cities as well) is to consider the timely lessons stemming from our shared cultural and faith traditions, societal laws and practical social and legal interactions and agreements.

There is so much to 'reconsider' and especially voluntary assess for everyone such as with criteria for self care and caring for others. There are books from nolo.com on Building A Parenting Agreement that Works. Every parents and guardian as well as public and private school, homeschool or other group or sports and faith program could have a clear written program and set of policies for each age group and each child and family for easy access about where a youth is and who they are with and what they are doing.

There needs to be more credit and accountability given to those doing basic care (with videos, documentation and witnesses such as at regular school, faith or sports programs) so erratic changes or legal conflicts do not create 'different realities' or feed abusive or unstable forces whether a controlling parent or spouse even (fighting over pets, property, threatening harm or financial damage etc.)

There is much to learn on many fronts, including NOT Missing Warning Signs of Danger of Many Kinds. Ways to get out of harm's way and patterns of control and difficulty will take more of a team effort. Youth and minors need to appreciate the job parents and adults are tasked with, even to consider the work and financial obligations and ways they can have support in learning to be more capable and independent on many fronts. Yet many will need more support than most adults in their lives can or will offer voluntarily. Perhaps with state and town laws funding youth programs and jobs there would be more progress made. With the internet many people could feel connected with webinars and programs, so computer access would be a helpful investment, particularly if properly monitored.

Learning basic ways to relax and focus one's mind, not over-react, lose one's temper, become aware of conditions that can be troubling (emotions, thoughts, worries, concerns and more which could be warning signs of mental, physical, emotional or safety isses) are all important to learn about and address over time with support. Everyone would benefit from voluntary, confidential (as in online with answers put on a paper and then look up one's results without needing to input names etc, so complete anonymity ideally...) That basic step is a gaping whole even while our entire female and youth as well as minority populations are put on alert that we have an epidemic of domestic abuse, social isolation, alcoholism and drug abuse and a host of other maladies going largely unchecked.

On top of that the drug and medical industries are driven by monetary profits so those seeming driving the bus are ready not to do right by US-All but rather to take the profit to the utmost limit. We need to put the brakes on the blindness and lunacy, punishing the most vulnerable in our society, malnourishing and otherwise keeping people in the dark about nutritional needs of the body, ways to find peace and calm and basic live a life worth living and connected with others in safe, meaningful ways. It's no small feat and yet much of our population in need are young, hungry and homeless.

So we have plenty of work to do. Those are the modern 'undercover whipping boys and girls' that we need to set free. We need a change of heart as many running for US President and other leadership positions are saying. I hope to hear more from Marianne Williamson and others who have braved setting a new practical caring set of criteria to invest in the peope of this country to prevent more illness, addiction, poverty and harm on many levels. How about you? Are you game to get involved at one of the most influential, critical times in our history and for our world to survive and maybe even thrive (though that's looking a bit like wishful thinking.)

The analogy of almost drowning on a horse or otherwise caught up in dangerous water, even to help save another, is what we need to ponder deeply. Whose life can we save if we have a few moment's warning? What is humanly possibly by going directly in rather than throwing a rope or coming down on a rescue rope. Our late teen son Kaelan Alexander Palmer Paton faced those kinds of moments as he struggled to help friends to safety, first whileon the shore then by going into loud treacherous waters by the Falls in  Salisbury CT (my hometown for four years when I was born) and Falls Village CT (where I was living when he passed on June 16, 2009 at age 16 after his first year at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, which is named in part for the Housatonic River that is where he departed from this earth plane, with his friend being rescued from above by a volunteer  rope rescuer.) I share more about that time on a post Remembering Kaelan Alexander Palmer Paton.

There is also a FB Fundraiser in his memory marking his tenth year on the other side and a youtube of his service that was held a month later at his grade school, Sharon Center School in Sharon CT where he was born and reared with connections to his grandparents Sandy and Caroline Paton, founders of Folk-Legacy Records. Kaelan's Grandfather Dale Palmer Sr of New Mexico was the younger son on the horse struggling in the river. He also got off a ship in WWII after serving for 3 years with the conviction that the ship would not go down with him on it, since he had a blessing that he would have a large family. In the end, he did that but his ship may have sank after hitting an iceberg shortly after he was honorably discharged after a medical condition (an emergency appendectomy.) The family lived on one side of the country, New Mexico primarily, and then settled on the East Coast in CT not too far from where he had met my mother Mary when she was on a chance weekend vacation in New Hampshire in 1944 and where her family lived for decades in Torrington CT.

The aftermath of some situations are mandated to be investigated. If someone dies without a medical person witnessing their passing (such as in a hospital when death is imminent) then there may be cause for an autopsy. Maybe I don't have that criteria correct and will check on that, and yet there are cases where someone has tried to hasten someone's passing (possibly to end to their physical suffering or fulfill an expressed wish) that likely inform the need to clarify how someone dies to rule out foul play or even 'well-intentioned' illegal actions.

There was a case of a man who believed his wife would be allowed to die since she had attempted suicide and was almost dead or maybe had died. He called medical people to inform them of the situation. The reality was that they had to try to revive her, even though she had a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate.) However, because she had tried to take her own life (and again, maybe had done so) she was deemed 'depressed' and not necessarily competent to make that decision. I believe she had had bipolar disorder. The statistics of people feeling depressed or seeking to end their life who have that condition can be upwards of 20%.

The turn of events as I recall with this situation was that the woman was being revived and the man posted on Facebook that he was going to help her have her 'final wishes to end her life' fulfilled. He went to the hospital and shot her and then turned the gun on himself.  Likely he was not in his 'right state of mind' in terms of making such serious, final decisions for both himself and the person he cared about in his life.

He likely had not realized the 'contingencies' of having a Do Not Resuscitate order in terms of the limitations that it may have. Another case involved a man who had given another person advice on how he would go about ending his life with a gun if he felt he needed to do so (in this case that was a person who had a terminal illness with a likely debilitating path which may preclude him from using a gun effectively if he waited too long to do so I think, or maybe the person's pain was increasing or other challenges were seeming insurmountable.)

Many people who have signed up for legal assisted suicide do not go through with the measures by the way from what I've heard on radio programs due to feeling they have enough support, are not taxing loved ones or others willing to help, can afford to meet basic costs of living or care, or are okay with racking up debt or using funds to cover needs or accepting help through programs.

If not feeling those are options they or their loved ones can handle then the odds for 'going through with the final ending of one's life' may play out. It is always a tragedy to think someone in a dire situation would have to wrestle with such 'human life' problems (money, care, transportation or medical needs, sorting through emotions and reflecting on moral, spiritual and social issuse alone or with little reliable support.

Maybe an app could be developed to help people clearly assess meaningful options whether with gofundme.com or gethelpforme.com type programs (the latter doesn't exist yet but most states have 211.org type programs.) An advocate is often needed to get the ball rolling and keep things organized and follow many types of protocol. The United States and many advanced countries are talking about such issues in more depth, but the wheels of progress move slowly and in no clear, comprehensive fashion for 'regular citizens' or those in more challenging circumstances

If someone dies in a workplace setting there are national labor laws that mandate a full report about the conditions and an investigation into the situation. There is not such a law governing or even recommending such an investigation for people 'going missing' if no criminal actions seem obvious. The police may not have grounds to insist on treating any such case on that basis without more evidence. Yet clearly it would be helpful for innocent people to comply with keeping a home or other setting 'free from contamination' for the sake of allowing such an investigation to take place if a family or other advocates so desired.

Perhaps a home owners' policy or other kind of insurance could be offered to allow for basic costs to be covered or even have a psychic visit a location or have basic materials to infer what may have transpired such as an actual photograph on photo paper of the person (or people or pets or item) that is in question, a sample of original handwriting and other requests honored. When a one man went missing, the last person to work as a caregiver with the man requested that such an investigation be done.

However the people who could have secured such items would not cooperate with giving these simple requests. The cost for a psychic or medium to do such work at the time was 300 dollars which the caregiver felt was prohibitive, but they were willing to drop their rate to 100 dollars. Meanwhile allegations of the caregiver lying about the events leading up to the time of the man walking away from his home in a short span of time ran up worries and costs for many for years. No answers emerged. It was not a practice of the police in that area to request help from psychics or mediums.

They followed various leads and did many searches, some of which were shared in the local or even national news media (online, in print and on television.) The costs for physical searches were very high in terms of hours, equipment (horses, dogs, people, helicopters and plenty of car miles logged.) Much of this kind of expenditure of resources and emotional and psychological resources still needs serious consideration by local, state, national and even international leaders, agencies and most of all people. Anyone is 'at risk' for having a sudden turn of events or even something of a criminal nature befall them.

Those nearest to them or involved with them in any way can be considered in a first line of 'suspects' for willful or accidental neglect or wrongdoing In modern times everyone could request lifelong help using the internet to have risk assessments and easy ways to document what has been done effectively (with videos and other reports if not calling in from landlines to verify locations or checking in with local centers or having visitors verify information regularly.)That information would have to be well-guarded with passwords and perhaps put on external hard drives and deleted from hard drives in one's computer, depending on the level of security needed.

But somehow a system of validating that good care is given to each person, from infants and young children (even around feeding since many children are having problems even taking a bottle or swallowing properly. Some people have fed their children 'lying down' feeling that is the only way a child will eat or there may be times of 'force feeding' such as putting a bottle in a babies mouth and holding their mouth closed forcing them to drink, or otherwise insisting they eat a certain amount of food with intimidation etc.

Unfortunately some people may be abusing their children in these ways, or conversely 'inadvertently or intentionally not feeding them enough or giving them any liquid or food to get their routine set without considering any factors such as emotional or other effects. Parents or others 'being strict and laying down the law' may also be laying down a pattern where the child or person may 'punish themselves' to address emotional or psychological pain.

The kind of hurt may come in the form of name-calling and put-downs and be basically a relentless tirade or a more occassional set of assaults or neglect. While anyone may find themselves in stressful situations mostly 'not of their own making' and be caught with few resources, generally there are ways to plan ahead with a few extra snacks, drink (babies under one year of age may not be recommended to have water, or possibly not until a certain weight etc to avoid choking on water.

That can be a problem for people of various ages with certain conditions. Rather they may be able to have 'thickened liquid' due to their swallowing skills or other conditions. There are many 'preventive first aid' guidelines more people could learn about as a matter of basic public education which could help people feel empowered and suited to care for themselves and others in balanced fashion, including seeking more guidance online or from others in their networks they could take time or have help increasing with trades, taking advantage of offers and possibly raising funds to afford some direct help or counsel.

The first set of ideas I wanted to convey when starting this post involved some real life situations that could inform us in our modern times about Preventing Harm with Better Plans and Implementing Oversight and Accountability for youth and others. We all have a general understanding now in 2019 that the brain is undergoing changes and maturation in making informed decisions before acting and even reconsidering actions once one has a plan to 'make sure' there is an ongoing moment-to-moment safety for people in a situation.

The way digital media and movies show countless dramatic 'surprise twists and dire situations', more people know they have to 'think on their feet' and understand the modern possibilities to go or do just about anything, but to be mindful and practical about what is reasonable and survivable. 

I want to share a few stories I may have covered in other posts, but glean important insights that really 'could give people a lifeline' to a safer way to live and avoid disasters. Here's a quick list of take-aways without going into a lot of details so I don't forget to include them. Then another time I hope to fill in the story lines. So here's a list starting with World War II.

A way to trick someone to get off a ship who says they are set on 'following you wherever you go on your military path' is to tell them you are transferring to another ship. They will say they put in and got the same transfer. Then you can let them know that you actually Didn't put in for the transfer! That worked for one fellow and yet their ship may have gone down after he did legitimately get out for a medical reason. Likely he saved the man's life by 'tricking him.'

Don't let kids or others for that matter 'ride on the big rigs like tractors, loads of hay or other stuff --wood, or even on the back of a truck.' They can fall off, get hurt or killed, run over or otherwise harmed. It's happened to a few people I know or have heard of from their families. It's heart-breaking. Same goes for not throwing little kids (especially babies) up in the air..one missed catch and it could be curtains.

I know there are some cultures where this is consider fun and games..and there are  ways likely to pull it off fairly safely but in general we need a lot more coaching and understanding about the possibilities for safe play and even rough-housing versus 'not so safe and downright dangerous.' Nowadays the kind of negligence or criminal charges can rack up readly and are likely meant to be a serious deterrent. 

Don't let people (or maybe even dogs etc) hang their head out the car window. If a passenger (or more than one) is doing that when the driver swerved just a bit (due to wet leaves even at low speeds for instance of avoiding a branch or ball in the road etc) then that could be curtains for those not fully in the car. The driver may go to jail (as many who have only one drink, often women, after a social event have to do for manslaughter when a passenger doesn't survive a car collision, again even at legal speeds.) The other possibility is they may have to pay bail, a large fine and do 1000 hours of community service (or some other number. )

If the person is young that can impact them for years, but likewise if the person has a good job or other aspects of their life they wanted to continue. Driving too early or too often without experience can be a 'disaster waiting not very long to happen.' Celebrating birthdays and other special events even college graduation could be a time where the person in the limelight is treated by other safe and sober drivers and team players.

Weddings, funerals, and holidays would all merit extra layers of 'playing it safe, with extra travel time, a lot of breaks and support --including help hauling luggage, moving home or relocating, and much more.' We could use endless 'Let's Think About It Committees' and save up money to affort short-term help at each point needed (packing up for or from college for instance, moving said items with a rented van or reliable drivers, not just Mom or Pop, family or friend who may be pushing their talents or resources and much more.)

Make certain the car is insured, has a tune up and gas, oil (something that needs to be checked with every fill up or regularly, even the new ones that don't need oil changes as often.) Air in the tires up to the right level but not over inflated is a good idea. We could all watch more about proper car and truck functioning and maintenance, driving when wakeful (and being aware of sleepiness that can set in after 5pm particularly if one hasn't eaten and had very low or high blood sugar. Checking one's own stress and blood pressure (like the air pressure in one't car, motorcycle or bike tires) is important too. Having money for travel is a big plus if using public transportation and a couple of back up cards for buses, trains and so forth (a credit card or pre-paid card can be a real help and preclude needing to ask people for money whether family, friends or strangers...but those are all back up options too. Maybe establish a budget buddy with a friend or family member including times for travel or other unexpected expenses. Carry some cash with you as well, why not?

Walk defensively and realize cars and trucks are bigger than you and may accidentally not see you or come your way out of the blue. That would mean even as person getting on a bus as a youth or part of a small or group to Think for Yourself. Listen and look both ways for any oncoming traffic (even from a distance) who may not be able or willing to stop. Make sure 'the coast is clear' before proceeding onto a school bus, especially in front of one if needing to cross a street to get on the bus.

A child looking at a bus driver who hopefully is watching their rear view mirror could be alerted to "Get Back!"  by the bus driver if they see a car or truck about to pass the stopped school bus since they may come upon it around a corner or down a long winding hill. That can be  a real challenge in rural areas.

A bus or car driver could also practice honking their horn to signal a pedestrian to get back, or of other danger. The pedestrian could make a practice of 'counting to three, looking both ways , Left, Right and Left again for instance before crossing in a calm but steady manner. Maybe practicing 'getting back' could be done with parents in the driveway, in terms of starting to walk then quickly turning and running back so the body would realize that could be a needed option.

Perhaps seeing smoke from under the car engine coming out, or someone feeling very sick suddenly would be a reason to practice. Coming up with 'what if' scenarios can help a person feel okay about needing to make a change even though they had an initial plan they were going to follow.

Encouraging people to learn a skill and not to just 'try things out of the blue' that could be dangerous would be another very helpful, important life strategy. that would include not jumping into water from the edge of a river or high rocks just because one sees others do so. Learning to check in details about having appropriate permission as well as the skills and equipment needed would be 'basic training' for any adventure or sport.

Likely amusement parks or other programs would have skilled people with the safety equipment and harnesses, life vests and life savers with throw ropes to begin to outfit someone with the right kind of supervision, training and determining appropriate venues for such outings. Likely there would be a waiver to sign that one is in good health, has legal permission from both parents or guardians and good insurance should medical care be needed or someone sues one if there is intentional or accidental interactions, bullying or tricking going on.

Telling someone one may want help in following through with jumping off a bridge may result in someone being pushed 'by a friend trying to help'. If the person gets injured or sues or otherwise deemed to have committed a crime a huge financial fine or jail time or both may result. If there is a loss of life from pushing or harming someone 'by surprise' whether as a joke or intentionally there could be even more serious consequences. Pushing someone into water could result in them taking in a mouthful of water and not being able to breathe. They could go under and not be readily located, thus drowning. They may not be able to be revived even if found quickly, Being near rocks and looking into the water below may result in someone falling when standing up due to slippery rocks or losing their balance. If they have been drinking or eating sweets they could have a sugar imbalance or other reason for losing their balance. Falling down could result in a head injury which could be severe. If they then fall in the water, they could drown especially if not located quickly. These kinds of things have happened. I explore many reasons about 'Why People May Die when they do or how they do' that I have learned from various schools of thought such as Edgar Cayce, Rudolf Steiner, some religions and other insights.

The overall idea that we may have 'many lifetimes' and do not cease to exist can be very comforting to consider. The point of living really may be one of learning spiritual realities and possibilities about evolving with love. If we were travelling from one side of the country to the other, and got lost in the middle it would be important to know which was we were headed. Otherwise we could get very lost in going around in the middle, likely criss-crossing not only our paths but people we would rather not see or maybe even more accurately, situations we would rather not experience repeatedly. There is a lot of new information about how amazing and powerful every human being is. Maybe the manner in which we die will be a key part of not only our life story but inform the world about how things play out.

Maybe any of us could be 'anyone else', yet the programming, choices and intentions are what infom who a person is. We can likely change our state of heart and shortly thereafter our willingness to cooperate with a sense of good intention and collaborative efforts overnight. A lot of people would likely feel they just 'enlisted in the military or in the Peace Corps' in their local area. They would feel relief in ways to think they don't have to figure every detail of their life out.

The basics could likely be easily taken care of and maybe they would be asked to talk on the phone or interact online with one or more peope (or computer programs) to help decipher their talents, skills, dreams, connections and other needs or inputs and outputs. That would take into account where they live and travel or work as well as where they would like to or feel they may be ready to learn about going. Then the game could be revised to help each person have a team of support from all over the world. Those who are awake during the day could help with many tasks that people who are sleeping at night would not be doing.

That might look like helping complete online tasks or make plans for the people to carry out when they awaken. Again maybe computers would be doing a lot of the busy work, giving options if not doing a lot of the work.

However with the buddy systems and team mind set maybe some people would be sharing what they are doing so one would feel they could learn and 'get credit' for someone getting things done, making strides with caregiving and even keeping up with basic activities of daily living. (ADLs which are used in many medical and social work circles to chart basic self care such as getting good sleep regularly, waking up and using the bathroom or having briefs (or pads etc) to use or changed with help, getting dressed after washing up, eating brushing teeth and flossing, having some routine for the day, meals and functioning in terms of getting to appointments, taking medications and more with assistance and reminders as needed.

More signs for 'blind driveways' and traffic groups to advocate for safety at all bus stops for both children and families as well as drivers would be a very helpful prevention and safety goal to implement.

Make certain younger children, elders, pets and others who may be prone to getting in cars or even under them or wandering into the road or following someone, checking up on someone or otherwise sneaking or getting outside when they should not are kept indoors or closely supervised.

Have clear boundaries for where children and others wait for a bus, at least 6-10 feet from the road, ideally with a bench marker or other place to put something down if need be and stay out of the rain, even with an umbrella or extra blankets kept in a waterproof container and bag. With solar lights and other markers, driveways and signage could be highlighted about a designated driveway or even an official bus stop sign. Have safety vests for children and even an orange traffic cone handy to assist in taking the transition seriously and alerting other drivers to the bus stop location.

Stay present with your children, even 'older kids' since people in cars may pull over to ask directions or otherwise try to engage a person. Unfortunately there is no guarantee the person may not be playing above board. They could pose a risk or danger so it is best to 'keep a safe distance.' This kind of boundary is not easy for many to set especially when trying to create a helpful, friendly community. However the 'safety first' would recommend socializing in more public places and ideally people who are driving could call or drive to a more public area to ask for directions.

Those have to be approved by state or local traffic personnel. However maybe new 'heads up' signs could be marketed and placed strategically well in advance of the others with a mile or half mile notice to help people 'plan ahead' while going 60 or more miles per hour whether regular drivers in the area or some passing by. Dangerous intersections and areas could be noted on a map and distributed online and in print to help alert everyone about spots to watch for.

Overall encouraging people to go the speed limit (if not less in bad weather, at night or in early mornings with fog or risks of ice or wet leaves in general could help keep people alert. Listening to calm music or talk shows can be helpful to suggest as well rather than blaring loud music (that can be done for fun sitting in one's driveway) could be encouraged as well. 

Teens need extra supervision as they gain independence. Their parents and other adults such as teachers, coaches, principals, faith and community leaders could clarify the kind of 'adulting' skills needed to keep teens and adults accountable for monitoring the actions and whereabouts as well as the interactions of people.

There is a basic assumption that people will not do highly dangerous activities or go to high risk areas where people could fall, swim or jump or boat in water without  appropriate guidelines from state, local and informed authorities as well as all parents and legal guardians giving permission and proper skill and supervision in appropriate conditions.There may be a large group of people to 'check with' and that would mean every state and local town and area having a more comprehensive set of information regarding what is legal and permissible from various standpoints.

The municipalities are supposed to post the standards and what is not allowed where (that could be on a website as well as at the location in English, Spanish and Chinese for instance for starters,) There could be a basic checklist to ascertain written permission for any kind of trip or activity with both parents, especially the biological and regular caregivers (mothers, fathers, grandparents, guardians, even sports coaches and PE teachers could help inform what is appropriate as input for instance that ideally concur with Red Cross and Scouting safety and skill guidelines.

If there is a increased risk of serious injury or death due to falls, drowning, exhaustion, dangerous waters or heights, wildlife or other factors--extreme heat or cold etc, then those should be spelled out for all to consider in a thorough mannter, state by state and town by town. Avoiding litigation due to lack of appropriate posting, tort law based on loss or violations and not having insurance or other liability owed would be important to inform youth, adults and municipalities about. A private school was sued for many millions since a student's family was not informed about the risk of a tick bite possibility in another country that could result in serious harm (which it did and required lifelong care.)