Modern Marvels Program

[jbd]

I'm watching Modern Marvels on TV. The program is about car crashes in the USA. They have mentioned the number of deaths that have occured every year since the automobile was invented.

From 1900 to 1953 one million people were killed. Even now with all the safety features involved there are 3.4 million people killed or injured every year in car crashes.

I wonder what things would be like if scuba diving were this dangerous or hazardous?

 

[Drew Sailbum]

if 3.4 million deaths occur on America's roads each year, that would be more than 1% of the US population. Much more than deaths from heart disease, cancer, and more.

According to U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics Report, vol. 50, no. 15, Sept. 16, 2002, there were only 2,403,351 deaths in the US from all causes in the year 2000.

 

[jbd]

that is 3.4 million dead or injured total. Only around 50,000 to 60,000 are deaths of that 3.4 million.

Even if 1% of 50,000 deaths occurred while scuba diving in the USA I would bet there would be a ban on recreational diving.

How many of us really give any thought to the numbers of people killed in automobile crashes each year. We as a society are pretty much oblivious or at least tolerant of traffic fatality statistics.

 

[GlockDiver]

Numbers can't tell you much. You have to look at rates. What percentage of dive hours result in an accident?

My bet is that the number is very very low.

 

[RichLockyer]

There's also the matter of real or perceived neccessity.
Recreational diving is far from being critical to the economy and people's lives. Much more risk is acceptable for an activity that is considered to be a requirement. Very little risk is acceptable for something considered to be optional.