Kdavid@gizzmo.UUCP (David Solan) (10/04/88)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- In article <4868@cbmvax.UUCP> ditto@cbmvax.UUCP (Michael "Ford" Ditto) writes: >>24 million Americans will die in the next 10 years without their >>seat belts on. Buckle up now! > >I'd guess a much, much larger number than that, unless you are only >counting ones who are in cars at the time ... :-) :-) Of course this absolutely positively does NOT belong on unix-pc.general, but since Mr. Ditto is a most active and knowledgeable contributor to this group and did care to comment, let me just state the facts and enlighten him a bit: In 1988, approximately 48000 people will die in traffic accidents in America. Of these, about 26000 will be passenger car occupants. Of these, I estimate about 19000 will NOT have seat belts on at the time of their accidents (assuming you can trust police reports ... hmmmm hmmmm). Of these, I estimate about 5000 more on net would have lived if they had been properly wearing lap and shoulder belts at the time of their accidents. Of those wearing seat belts at the time of their accidents, I estimate that at least 1500 died BECAUSE of their restraint systems. This makes a net saving of about 3500 lives per year if everyone in passenger cars had been properly wearing seat belts -- ASSUMING no other factors enter into this situation (a totally preposterous and unscientific assumption). In ten years, this would come to 35000 lives saved. How did I get the 24 million number seen below (almost 3 orders of magnitude greater!)? To paraphrase that great hero of America, George Bush: READ MY WORDS! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- David Solan Post Office Box 123 Norwalk, CT 06856 Voice: (203) 866-6900 attmail: <!dsolan> -- 24 million Americans will die in the next 10 years without their seat belts on. Buckle up now! {codas,u1100a}-----\ David Solan rutgers!rochester!kodak!pcid!gizzmo!kdavid {lazlo,ethos,fthood}-----/