Point A to Point B: The Save Your Life Edition

If you could make a simple lifestyle change that would save the lives of 3,000 people every month, would you do it?  Think about that and read on.

Earlier this year a surfer was killed by sharks off the west coast of Florida.  Of course, this is a tragedy for the victim and his family.  It's shocking not only for the violence of the event but because it is so rare.  The media offered a series of lengthy reports on the subject.  On average, four people die of shark attacks in the entire world every year.  Do we all need to fear going to the beach?

More than eight years after the horrific events of September 11, 2001, our news media and politicians continue to obsess over terrorism.  Is there a legitimate terror threat?  Yes.  Should we expect a terrorist around every corner?  (Or worse, assume that every person of a particular religion, or dressed in a certain way, or born in a specific country, is a terrorist?)  During a 38-year period, from 1968 to 2006, a total of 3,227 people were killed by acts of terrorism in the United States.

According to the CDC, you're much more likely to be killed by heart disease; over 631,000 people died from it in the United States in 2007.  In one year.  That is the leading cause of death in the U.S.  A combination of diet, exercise, and, when our genes fail us, cholesterol-lowering medication, can drastically reduce heart disease deaths.  Have you tried the latest supersized bacon-cheeseburger combination from your local fast food chain?

According to the National Safety Council, 39,800 people were killed in the United States in motor vehicle crashes in 2008.  That comes to 3,317 every month.  Research shows that 90% of crashes are caused by people (as opposed to vehicle failure).  In 2007, motor vehicle crashes were the tenth leading cause of death in the United States.  So every month nearly 3,000 Americans die because we are driving too fast, talking on the phone, running red lights, or performing some other dangerous behavior.  Not to mention that auto dependency has taken us off our feet and contributed to widespread obesity.  How we get from Point A to Point B is one of the most dangerous things we ever do.  We rarely stop to think about that, or about what we can do to make our roads safer.

Here are a couple of passages from Tom Vanderbilt's book Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us):

In the wake of those attacks [on September 11], polls found that many citizens thought it was acceptable to curtail civil liberties to help counter the threat of terrorism, to help preserve our 'way of life.'  Those same citizens, meanwhile, in polls and in personal behavior, have routinely resisted traffic measures designed to reduce the annual death toll (e.g., lowering speed limits, introducing more red-light cameras, stiffer blood alcohol limits, stricter cell phone laws)."

And this:

"Traffic fatalities are by far the most important contributor to the danger of leaving home."

Often, it seems to me we've taken our eyes off the ball.  We scan the waters for sharks that almost never appear.  We demonize people for the color of their skin or because they worship differently.  Most likely our own choices will do us in.  Do you really want to save lives?  Slow down, pay attention, and let the phone wait.  It's simple and the life you save could be your own.

As for the bacon-cheeseburgers, that's a subject for another day.