31 December 2009

More Carnage with Cars or Terrorists

Trying to add a little perspective to the terrorist threat:
In 2008 there were 34,017 deaths (and nearly 100,000 major injuries) related to automobile accidents in the United States. Terrorists would have to blow up 113 Boeing 777-200s each year in order to kill that many people! That is, they'd have to blow up all but six of the 777-200's (which hold 301 people in a 3-tier international setup) currently owned by American Airlines, United Airlines and Continental Airlines (together they own 119 777-200s) and would have to do so every single year, which is probably faster than they can be built...


More along this line of reasoning from Yglesias.

2 comments:

5chw4r7z said...

Got into yesterday with someone from West Chester on twitter, I know, don't argue with idiots, so it was mostly one sided with her doing all the arguing about how dangerous it is walking around OTR.
Doing some research online I found out, 56% of all pedestrian deaths occur in and around cul-de-sacs that have main roads as their only access.
I couldn't find the percent of deaths that occur in dense walkable neighborhoods but I bet its low.
OK, sorry its only related because cars are doing the killing, but then, that's social acceptable too isn't it?

Kareem said...

Schw4r7z has a good point. Also, the difference with killings by terrorists and death by cars is that death by automobiles are usually accidents, terrorist are hell bent on killing.