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teachrdanyesterday at 11:14 PM2 repliesview on HN

> Honestly, I am surprised it is only 350 deaths per year.

Isn't this exactly why we need to know how many deaths there are -- so we can judge the level of risk we face?


Replies

jandrewrogersyesterday at 11:28 PM

The number of deaths tell you relatively little about the risks because almost all of them are preventable. If you don't ignore the myriad highly visible warnings, the risks are below the noise floor. You take a bigger risk of death driving to the National Park.

For example, dozens of people die every year due to heat stroke and dehydration in places like Death Valley, Joshua Tree, and White Sands. The National Park Service posts many large signs warning you to bring sufficient water that thousands of people ignore. Most people that ignore the warning don't die but you could eliminate the risk entirely by simply staying hydrated.

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TurdF3rgusonyesterday at 11:47 PM

You mean like > 10 == take bear spray, > 20 == cancel the trip? Because how do you even come up with that formula? Is it a per-capita number or total?

Also: How many people killed by falling coconuts would cause you to cancel a Hawaiian vacation?

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