03 October 2006

Playing The Odds

When something as tragic as the shootings of the Amish girls takes place, it is very easy to enter in to a state of fear for yourself or your loved ones. While sympathy for those who have lost so much is in order, don't let these events seduce you into thinking you are in danger.

On average there are approximately 167,000 deaths due to external causes or about 7% of the total deaths in the country. This figure has been out of line for the past few years due to military deaths, but it is a safe number to use for citizens located in the United States. The majority of these are related to automobile, drownings and other accidents.

Non Accidental deaths

About 31,484 are due to suicide;
Undetermined causes account for another 5,072;
Only 17,732 are directly due to assault of some kind including all weapons.

(This statistic includes gang warfare, self defense shootings and criminals killed by police).

No matter how bad the 24 hour a day news stations may make it seem, you really are safe out there.

1 comment:

vanillabirdies said...

Jamie: Making the world safe for paranoid obsessors everywhere :)

I never put my self in that situation...the news makes everything so surreal that sometimes it's impossible to imagine it happening to anyone.

People resond to that drama.

And storylines.

People like T.V.