Ho hum, another 41,059 deaths
August 25th, 2008 by Jim JustThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported earlier this month one positive effect of high gas prices:
“The overall number of traffic fatalities in 2007 reached its lowest level since 1994. The 2007 Annual Assessment of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Fatalities and People Injured shows a 3.9-percent decline in people killed in the United States, from 42,708 in 2006 to 41,059. This reduction in fatalities is the largest in terms of both number and percentage since 1992. . .
“Overall VMT decreased by 0.6 percent over 2006 VMT – from 3,014,116 million to 2,996,232 million. VMT data will be updated when FHWA officially releases the 2007 Annual Highway Statistics.”
Over 40,000 people are killed every year by cars? And we accept this as the normal order of things?
Let’s see, 2,752 people were killed on 9/11. We found that so horrific that we invaded two countries, at a cost the government admits is now approaching $600 billion. More than 4,100 American military have died. In Iraq, civilian casualties are confirmed at around 90,000 and estimated by Johns Hopkins to be in the range of 600,000).
So over 40,000 people are killed every year by our transportation system, and we’re not shocked into demanding a drastic response from our government?