Not saying that people shouldn’t wear seat belts, but this is something you shouldn’t worry about. Seat belt laws work because if 350,000,000 people wear them, then you save thousands of lives each year. But getting killed in a car accident is still exceedingly rare. I could bet 10,000 people $200 that if they don’t wear a seat belt that they’ll still be alive at the end of the year and come out a millionaire.
The worst year for car fatalities was 1938. You had a like 1 in 3000 chance. That’s exceedingly rare in my book. Again, I’m not against seat belt laws. I’m just saying they work just as well if you don’t live in constant fear of death.
First, again, I am not arguing against seat belt laws. Repeat: I. am. not. against seat belt laws. I’m assuming this is the misunderstanding and why I keep getting downvoted into oblivion and getting weird replies. If not, then why? I’m not understanding this push back.
What I’m saying is that it’s not psychologically healthy to think your daily commute is a war zone and obsess on worst case scenarios like the comments my original comment was in response to.
Now with the numbers.
In the US, during the 30s, about 1 out of 3,000 people died in car accidents each year. By the 70s, with road safety improvements and such, this was down to 1 out of 5,000. Then in the 90s with seat belt laws, it was about 1 out 6,500. Today, with a half dozen air bags in each car, it’s 1 out of 10,000.
I didn’t downvote, but I already mentioned my objection that ‘dead or alive’ aren’t the only two possible outcomes of a car trip. So the calculation should be different.
The person who put her legs up on the dashboard and ended up with said legs way in her pelvis, has lived iirc.
Also, this is a prime example of a ‘black swan’ event: happens rarely, but when it does, you really fucking wish it didn’t.
You’ll drive yourself insane thinking like this. And that’s my concern about modern society. When seat belt laws were passed half a century ago, we never thought about our legs being shoved up into our pelvis. We understood that it was a “carpet bombing” law. If you force a quarter billion people to wear seat belts, it’ll prevent thousands of deaths and injuries. But me personally, whether I wear a seat belt or not, I am just as safe. People have lost sight of that today.
Your attitude is completely backwards. I won’t drive myself anything at all, because I learn this once and then I don’t think about any of that, but I follow the best practices every time — as in, I sit upright and strap in. I don’t ever drive without the seat belt and don’t put my feet up on the dashboard, and that’s it, I’ve reduced my chances of being mangled while on the road a hundredfold.
It’s the most Zen approach possible. Just do the best thing every time, and you’ll get the best possible chances.
Also btw, your general attitude regarding any kind of black-swan event should be ‘huh, perhaps I should avoid that at a small cost, in case it fucks my entire family for three generations’, and not ‘who the fuck cares’. That’s wisdom.
Again. I was not saying don’t wear seat belts. I was saying prepare for black swan events but remember that they are black swan events and not the norm.
I’m feeling like Not Sure trying to explain that I’m pretty sure plants need water.
I’m not sure where you work, but it sounds like it’s dangerous if you need PPE. I’m being rational. Driving isn’t as dangerous as something like a construction site.
I’m not being tough. I’m genuinely concerned that the PSA terror campaigns of the past half century have warped the younger generations. You’re suffering from Super Duper Mean World Syndrome.
I just have an issue with misuse of statistics. “1 in 3000 people died in car accidents each year” is a useless number that gives you no information you can base a decision on, though granted, it’s at least more info than before. But still, what do we get from it? Assuming it’s correct, is it saying that for every 3000 deaths 1 was in a car crash? If so, seeing as that figure was around 2.2% in 2017, with much better traffic laws, infinitely safer cars, better road design, construction, and materials… You can draw exactly zero conclusions from that stat. Were a lot more people dying in the 30s from other preventable causes? Are people now a dying much less? No idea. There’s so much noise, how do you even factor in seat belts?
If you want to draw conclusions from statistics you need to use the right ones. If we’re comparing traffic safety then at least start here: how do injuries+deaths/km travelled compare from the 30s to now?
Not saying that people shouldn’t wear seat belts, but this is something you shouldn’t worry about. Seat belt laws work because if 350,000,000 people wear them, then you save thousands of lives each year. But getting killed in a car accident is still exceedingly rare. I could bet 10,000 people $200 that if they don’t wear a seat belt that they’ll still be alive at the end of the year and come out a millionaire.
So wear a seat belt. But don’t get paranoid.
Where I start with “Not saying that people shouldn’t wear seat belts” and end it with “So wear a seat belt.”
Not saying that people shouldn’t wear seat belts, but this is something you shouldn’t worry about. Seat belt laws work because if 350,000,000 people wear them, then you save thousands of lives each year. But getting killed in a car accident is still exceedingly rare. I could bet 10,000 people $200 that if they don’t wear a seat belt that they’ll still be alive at the end of the year and come out a millionaire.
So wear a seat belt. But don’t get paranoid.
Always wear a seatbelt there’s absolutely no upside to not wearing it.
OH YEAH? WHAT ABOUT THE UPSIDE IN MY FREEDUMB AND STICKING IT TO THE GUBMINT?
/s of course
Yes, always wear a seat belt but don’t live in terror.
Every time I latch my seatbelt, I need to wipe my hands first because my palms are so sweaty. I’m just so goddamn terrified of that little latch.
Also, there are gradations between ‘fine and dandy’ and ‘dead’, how about you factor that into the benefits of seat belts.
The worst year for car fatalities was 1938. You had a like 1 in 3000 chance. That’s exceedingly rare in my book. Again, I’m not against seat belt laws. I’m just saying they work just as well if you don’t live in constant fear of death.
1 in 3000 per km travelled? Per year? Every time you get in the car? Per day? Per crash? What are these numbers.
First, again, I am not arguing against seat belt laws. Repeat: I. am. not. against seat belt laws. I’m assuming this is the misunderstanding and why I keep getting downvoted into oblivion and getting weird replies. If not, then why? I’m not understanding this push back.
What I’m saying is that it’s not psychologically healthy to think your daily commute is a war zone and obsess on worst case scenarios like the comments my original comment was in response to.
Now with the numbers.
In the US, during the 30s, about 1 out of 3,000 people died in car accidents each year. By the 70s, with road safety improvements and such, this was down to 1 out of 5,000. Then in the 90s with seat belt laws, it was about 1 out 6,500. Today, with a half dozen air bags in each car, it’s 1 out of 10,000.
I didn’t downvote, but I already mentioned my objection that ‘dead or alive’ aren’t the only two possible outcomes of a car trip. So the calculation should be different.
The person who put her legs up on the dashboard and ended up with said legs way in her pelvis, has lived iirc.
Also, this is a prime example of a ‘black swan’ event: happens rarely, but when it does, you really fucking wish it didn’t.
You’ll drive yourself insane thinking like this. And that’s my concern about modern society. When seat belt laws were passed half a century ago, we never thought about our legs being shoved up into our pelvis. We understood that it was a “carpet bombing” law. If you force a quarter billion people to wear seat belts, it’ll prevent thousands of deaths and injuries. But me personally, whether I wear a seat belt or not, I am just as safe. People have lost sight of that today.
Your attitude is completely backwards. I won’t drive myself anything at all, because I learn this once and then I don’t think about any of that, but I follow the best practices every time — as in, I sit upright and strap in. I don’t ever drive without the seat belt and don’t put my feet up on the dashboard, and that’s it, I’ve reduced my chances of being mangled while on the road a hundredfold.
It’s the most Zen approach possible. Just do the best thing every time, and you’ll get the best possible chances.
Repeat the mantra:
Also btw, your general attitude regarding any kind of black-swan event should be ‘huh, perhaps I should avoid that at a small cost, in case it fucks my entire family for three generations’, and not ‘who the fuck cares’. That’s wisdom.
Again. I was not saying don’t wear seat belts. I was saying prepare for black swan events but remember that they are black swan events and not the norm.
I’m feeling like Not Sure trying to explain that I’m pretty sure plants need water.
Do I need to buy you a shovel to dig yourself out of this pile of cow shit? Or do you have that handled yourself?
You guys are just trolling me. I’m gonna stop feedin’ ya.
So I work in the trades. Most of my coworkers don’t use PPE because they are too tough or whatever. They say the exact same kind of stuff you say.
I’m not sure where you work, but it sounds like it’s dangerous if you need PPE. I’m being rational. Driving isn’t as dangerous as something like a construction site.
I’m not being tough. I’m genuinely concerned that the PSA terror campaigns of the past half century have warped the younger generations. You’re suffering from Super Duper Mean World Syndrome.
I just have an issue with misuse of statistics. “1 in 3000 people died in car accidents each year” is a useless number that gives you no information you can base a decision on, though granted, it’s at least more info than before. But still, what do we get from it? Assuming it’s correct, is it saying that for every 3000 deaths 1 was in a car crash? If so, seeing as that figure was around 2.2% in 2017, with much better traffic laws, infinitely safer cars, better road design, construction, and materials… You can draw exactly zero conclusions from that stat. Were a lot more people dying in the 30s from other preventable causes? Are people now a dying much less? No idea. There’s so much noise, how do you even factor in seat belts?
If you want to draw conclusions from statistics you need to use the right ones. If we’re comparing traffic safety then at least start here: how do injuries+deaths/km travelled compare from the 30s to now?
I think it’s rather that 1/3000th of the total population died in car crashes each year, and your job as a voter was to judge if that’s acceptable.
Christ… That’s grim.
‘Unsafe at Any Speed’
What decision do you think I’m suggesting should be made?
I have no idea, nor am I invested in that. I’m only here for statistical rigor.
Naah, this is bullshit, seatbelts have saved my head from concussion quite a few times just from having to brake unexpectedly for traffic.
Ironically, it’s a no-brainer. Wear the seatbelt.
This is starting to smell fishy. It’s like you’re all having a hard time parsing what I’m saying and jumping to spitting out the PSA.
Because your dumbass just told a public forum that we shouldn’t be afraid of car crashes.
Literally the dumbest possible thing one could add to the conversation.
Are you being serious?
Are you?
Yes. Yes I am.
You typed words onto a public forum. Then you told the people reading them you didn’t say that, when they can just scroll up and see you say that.
Are you talking about this post?
Where I start with “Not saying that people shouldn’t wear seat belts” and end it with “So wear a seat belt.”
Utterly gormless.