What are the odds that as you are driving the roadways of Wisconsin that your life will end this year? Maybe the better question is: how many people are negatively Affected by accidents in the state of Wisconsin?
I was discussing this with the team one morning. There are often signs with blinking lights placed next to highways that will say how many people have been killed on Wisconsin roadways during the course of the year. The most recent data from Wisconsin’s DOT website was from 2020, and the total number of people that were killed was 593, which is actually a lower number than usual because people were not traveling as much during the pandemic, but it was still 593 people that died that year.
That’s just the people that didn’t walk away from an accident. Instead, they were taken away by hearse. What about the people that were taken away by ambulance? How many people were injured? These numbers are scarier. In 2020, 32,373 people were injured in automobile accidents in Wisconsin. The number of serious injuries, these are people whose lives have been forever changed, was 3,186. The total number of crashes in our state back in 2020 was 115,694.
The reason I’m discussing this is because life is risky no matter what we do, and I am always very cautious when I’m out on the roadway. I drive very, very cautiously, making sure that I look both ways, and that I stay with-in the speed limit. However, there are people out there that just appear crazy to me (in all the decisions they make), and just because you are playing it safe, it does not mean that they are. Nobody gets into a car thinking that this may be the day that they die. Nobody thinks today’s the day they might get a serious injury that will leave them disabled. They don’t think that this year might not turn out how they expected. They don’t expect to become disabled for the long run or permanently. They don’t expect to maybe lose their job because of it.
Have you taken steps to ensure that 100% of your income is fully guaranteed, no matter what happens in your life? No matter your age, it is the ability to produce an income source that allows us to live the life that we want to live. I realize that even if you do have that 100% coverage you might still say that if that were to happen, what’s the point, your life would be crap. Personally, I would rather have a crappy life and money than having a crappy life and not have money. Are you 100% able to say today that no matter what happens in your life medically: an accident, a disability, and/or death, that you are covered? Are you sure? It's kind of a sick joke you hear that “every single day, people are just dying to get into the obituary column of their local paper”. Make sure you are 100% covered today. There is no reason to wait on any of this. It’s a gift to yourself to make sure this is all setup now. Additionally, it's a gift to your family, to your loved ones.
If I'm making a point to you today, then act on it. Feelings will not get you anywhere; hope only gets you so far. It’s taking action today that will actually make a difference in your life. Do not become a statistic.
