Exactly.
No, it’s value-driven.
- Limit your value-to-EHP ratio as much as possible per trip
- Scout ahead
- Haul during off-hours
- Find wormholes
For small but very expensive items, don’t use a tiny/fast ship, but something super-tanked, like a triple-plated Proteus. Most gankers simply won’t have the firepower on standby to kill something like that.
Also, there are implants that boost your EHP.
Here’s a trick: you get scanned way ahead of the gank system (usually), so if you think you got scanned, a system or two down the line warp to a celestial in the same cluster as your next gate (in case anyone is following and observing you) and then go somewhere else and dock (or just log off). As in, a different system instead of your next waypoint. After a while they’ll be wondering why you haven’t shown up yet, and will give up on expecting you. Then a few hours later (but not at the same time the next day) continue your trip. This might even be worth doing as an extra precaution even if you didn’t notice yourself getting scanned.
You can also do partial hauling. As in, travel normally through space you know is safe, and then when you approach a gank zone, dock up and split your cargo into a few loads that you individually take through the cluster of .5-.6 systems, then consolidate and make the next leg of your trip normally (just make sure you aren’t being watched).
In situations where you’re approaching a target destination that might have ganking despite being high-security (e.g. Jita or Amarr), plan your route to take a detour so that you don’t go through any normally-expected gates.