What is the most dangerous situation you encounter on a daily basis? By far, the answer is driving or riding in a car. Vehicle collisions are the number two cause of death worldwide, after disease. The chance that your life will end in a crash is about 1 in 75. If we were to eliminate all unnecessary driving, millions of people could be saved. Obviously, modern society demands that most people drive. This is an accepted danger of modern life. People need to work, and most people must drive or ride to work. In some areas, snowy winters significantly increase the risks associated with driving. A study published by the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society found that the risk of fatal crash increases by approximately 34% while it is raining or snowing.
I grew up in Northern Michigan. In the winter, roads are often covered in snow or ice. The road commissions are either unable or unwilling to keep the roads safe. I've decided that the most bizarre thing about this area is the common attitude regarding this: everyone is expected to report to work, or even sometimes school, regardless of road conditions. When I was in high school, the superintendent often refused to cancel school on account of icy roads. He once said, We live in Northern Michigan—buy a truck.
Sadly, this attitude is prevalent. I can think of at least two incidents where I almost died trying to get to work. These were sobering moments. Should my life end at twenty years old because that's just the way it is around here
? Maybe if I moved to the south and took up smoking I would have the same chance of making it to seventy. I don't believe that is normal. I also lived in New York state for a few years. At the first sign of hazardous conditions, my employer would tell everyone not to come in. Why is the attitude different in Michigan? I can't say for sure. Perhaps it takes a certain stubbornness to live there. More pragmatic types would have moved away, at least for the winter.