The Obligation to abide by all logical and scientifically based dangers:

Many of the dangers mentioned in the Talmud and Poskim and recorded in this book, are scientifically based, and logically understood. The reason that they are nonetheless recorded as prohibitions is to teach us that a person does not have the right to choose to perform these actions anyways, and endanger himself and put himself at risk, as explained in Chapter 1 Halachas 1. For example, it is forbidden to leave a pit without a fence surrounding it, lest one falls inside, and one does not have the right to say that he is willing to take the chance. The obligation to beware of matters of natural and logical danger is not limited to the list of dangers mentioned in the Talmud and Sefarim, and also extends to any matter that is considered potentially dangerous by the populace and safety professionals. For example, while no Jewish literature discusses the necessity of looking at both sides of the street before you cross, it is obvious that you must do so to protect your life, and certainly this is included in the general obligation of guarding one’s life, no less than the matters of danger listed in the Talmud. There are many examples of such kind, such as being cautious of fires and following guidelines which are recommended and implemented to prevent house fires, such as having a smoke alarm and having a fire extinguisher, and doing fire drills, etcetera, etcetera. Accordingly, it is understood to the reader that there are hundreds if not thousands of safety adherences, that are known to the populace and recommended by safety professionals, such as doctors, Hatzalah, the Red Cross, governments, and police departments, which are equally obligatory to be followed by a Jew, despite them not being explicitly recorded in the Talmud. It is beyond the scope of our Sefer to list all of the recommended safety precautions and safety hazards that fall under this category, as our Sefer comes to list only the hazards explicitly written within the Poskim. However, nonetheless, no leniency should be learned regarding these, and every recommended safety precaution should be measured versus the risk and brought to a Rav to rule regarding whether one is obligated to follow it due to the general obligation to guard one’s life. See Chapter 1 Halacha 2D regarding the law by low-risk dangers!