Be Careful Out There

As we all know -- and are incessantly reminded by the media -- the arson/murders of 9/11 claimed 2,973 lives. That includes 343 of my brother firefighters. Without doubt, it was a spectacular event and a staggering loss of life.

But did you know that in that same year, 42, 443 men, women and children were mercilessly slaughtered on America’s highways? That’s 14 times the number of fatalities on 9/11, or to put it another way, the equivalent of one 9/11 a month, every month for a year --- with a couple extra for the holidays.

Falls took another 15, 019 lives, more than 5 times the 9/11 death toll, and 14, 078 died from poisoning. Suffocation killed more of our friends and neighbors (5,555), as did fires (3423) and drownings (3281).

Despite this butcher’s bill, accidental death didn’t win, place or show in the Grim Reaper’s Derby.

The big winners were Cerebro-vascular Disease (163, 538 fatalities), Malignant Neo-plasma (553, 768) and Heart Disease, with 700,000+ deaths, and comfortable lead at the wire.

Since 2001, about every third word out of the mouth of every politician and pundit is “terrorism.” You’d think there was a terrorist on every street corner in America, taking us out in big batches. But the fact is, between 2001 and 2006 (the most current year for which the statistics are available) homicide didn’t even make the Billboard Top Ten in the Causes of Death category. It ranked a mediocre 14^th. well behind respiratory disease, Diabetes, Alzheimers, the pop duo of Influenza and Pneumonia, Nephritis, Septicemia, Suicide, Liver disease and Hypertension. And of those homicides that did occur, 65% were committed with firearms.

Not bombs. Not chemical or biological attacks. No WMD’s at all.

Speaking of firearms, it’s interesting to have a look at the actual numbers of firearm-related deaths, given the highly touted “epidemic of gun violence” we’re supposed to be having. Guns figured into 71, 864 homicides; 101,519 suicides and 4374 accidental deaths.

Note that there are more firearm suicides than there are firearm homicides and accidental firearm deaths combined.

Let’s face it: if somebody shoots you, it will probably be you.

It should also be noted that not all “homicides” are created equal. “Homicide” does not necessarily mean “murder.” “Homicide” includes acts of self-defense by law-abiding citizens and even the actions of law enforcement officers who shoot someone in the line of duty.

While 177, 757 firearms deaths (an average of 29,626 per year) is nothing to sneeze at, that number pales beside 260, 611 motor vehicle accident fatalities during the same period, an average of 43,435 MVA fatalities a year. That’s 47% more MVA fatalities than firearm deaths.

So the good news is, if you’ve been chewing your nails to the quick worrying about terrorist attacks or getting gunned down in the street, you can pretty much relax.

Not likely to happen.

The bad news is those MVA's.

Indeed, between the ages of 1 and 44, accidents are the number one cause of death, and motor vehicle accidents (MVA'S) account for more than half of those accidental deaths. For the 15-24 age group, it’s nearly 70%. It starts to taper off a little after that. For 35-44 year-olds, mva deaths drop slightly below 40%. By the time you’re 45-54, accidental death drops to the third most prevalent cause of death, with mva’s making up about 1/3 of those fatalities. By 55 accidents fall to 6^th place, and by 65 to 9^th place.

Maybe that’s evidence that you really do get smarter as you get older.

I certainly hope so.

There’s no big mystery to motor vehicle safety. It boils down to a seven simple things:

1. NEVER operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of ANY perception-altering or judgment-altering substance, whether that substance is legal or illegal, over-the-counter or prescription.
2. ALWAYS wear your seat belt, and make everyone else in the vehicle wear theirs, too.
3. SLOW DOWN. Better someone should refer to you as the so-and-so who was late, than the late Mr. or Ms. So-and-so.
4. ALWAYS keep your vehicle in good repair: air bags and seatbelts working, tires with good treads and properly inflated, lights operational, windows clean and unobstructed. If you wear glasses, be sure your prescription is current.
5. Eliminate distractions. Don’t try to drive while eating breakfast, talking on the phone, putting on your make-up, changing clothes, hunting for your favorite CD, or displaying affection for your true love.
6. If you haven’t done one in a while, take a defensive driving course and brush up on how to look out for the other guy’s mistakes as well as correcting your own.
7. Keep an emergency kit in the car: flares, flashlight, cell phone, fire extinguisher, first aid kit. Season to taste.

If you have kids in your vehicle, there are a couple more considerations.

1. Children 12 and under should ride in the back seat in a child safety seat, booster seat or safety belt (adult seat belts alone won’t protect a child who weighs less than 80 pounds).
2. Infants should ride in a rear-facing infant seat until they’re about a year old and weigh at least 20 pounds.
3. Use a convertible or forward-facing seat up to about age 4 and when the child weighs at least 40 pounds.
4. When a child outgrows the child safety seat, use a booster seat unless the child is at least 4’ 9” tall. If the shoulder strap of the seat belt comes across the child’s neck, rather than chest, use a booster seat.

Car wrecks are a lousy, stupid, wasteful way to die.

Don’t do it.

Be careful out there.

sj