Eighteen-year-old males are as risky behind the wheel as 80-year-old females

[The Straight Story]

Study looks at traffic death risks

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Eighteen-year-old males are as risky behind the wheel as 80-year-old females, says a new traffic study from Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University.

Carnegie Mellon released the traffic fatality risk data as engineers there prepared to unveil a Web site that will inform visitors about how traffic fatality risks vary by many categories, including time of day, vehicle type and driver age. The Web site, Traffic STATS (for Statistics on Travel Safety) will be presented at the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board next week in Washington.

"Generally, people measure safety only by the number of fatalities, but a much better way is to think in terms of risk, for example, fatalities per mile," said Paul Fischbeck, director of Carnegie Mellon's Center for the Study and Improvement of Regulation.

"Every year, more than five times more people die in cars than on motorcycles, but there are 30 times more deaths per mile on motorcycles than in passenger cars. Motorcycles are 30 times riskier."

http://www.newsdaily.com/Science/UPI-1-20070119-15204500-bc-us-drivers.xml

[NMDemDist2]

1. this goes in the "Duh! You call that news" department

the only reason the numbers aren't higher is that teens still have lightening fast reflexes and can get themselves out of trouble (sometimes)

[Deja Q]

2. And?

I know that firsthand.

I hope the bastards who played their chickenshit game on drivers a few years ago got into a very nasty crash.

I can't think of a better way to learn not to fuck around with peoples' lives, especially if they don't learn "Don't do stupid shit" when going through the relevant training and testing.

:dunce:

[The Straight Story]

4. Hey, at least they ain't blaming the smokers :) (nt)

[jody]

3. We should ban 18 year old males and 80 year old females from driving. n/t

[no_hypocrisy]

5. Having driven with my father at age 80, I won't get in the car with

him again. Sexist study.

[terisan]

6. UPI may have this very wrong-read the actual report

The report I read of this study indicated that it was comparing fatalities per miles for passengers as well as drivers. The high rate of fatalities for 80 year old women was attributed to their frailty, not to their risk-taking as drivers.

The same study shows that children under a certain age have less risk of fatality and this was attributed to their being in protective car seats.

Js this story from the UPI news service bought by Reverend Moon's interests ? Maybe their quality has declined. I know Hlen Thomas left UPI when it became a Moonie enterprise.

[Bunny]

8. Thanks for pointing out that little fact regarding frailty.

The article is pretty clear that fatalities in 80 year old women, both as drivers AND as passengers are mainly due to their frailty. It has nothing to do with risk.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. Sky is blue. Water is wet.