Odds of Dying from External Causes

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The discussion centers around the statistical odds of dying from various external causes in the U.S., highlighting that these averages do not reflect individual risks, which depend on personal circumstances. Participants share specific odds, such as the likelihood of dying from falls (1:246), alcohol-related causes (1:12,188), and intentional self-harm (1:121). The conversation includes humorous anecdotes about unusual deaths, such as choking on frozen broccoli and the dangers of bee stings, while also touching on the perception of risk in activities like base jumping and skydiving. There’s a mix of dark humor and personal stories, with some participants reflecting on family tragedies related to these causes. The thread emphasizes the surprising nature of these statistics, prompting discussions about the relative dangers of everyday activities versus more extreme risks.
  • #31
jimmy p said:
I could give better odds.

:smile: You really should have been put up for a "Gambling Guru" award!
 
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  • #32
Ivan Seeking said:
Odds of dying while chasing car tire on moving vehicle:
Lifetime average - 1:1,000,000,000
Tribdog - 1:2

:smile:

So, if people jumping out of planes cite beestings as more dangerous, what statistics do beekeepers cite to justify what they do? "Well, at least we're not like that tribdog character who's likely to die from all of the above simultaneously." :biggrin:
 
  • #33
btw, that was base jumping...you know, that really sane sport where you jump off of tall buildings, bridges, and cliffs.
 
  • #34
if you are afraid of dying by a terrorist bomb. then you have to carry a bomb with you every time ready to detonate at detection of another explosion... the probabilities of dying from 2 diferent bombs at the same time is really small. :smile:
 
  • #35
you know what they say about one in a million occurances, they happen 9 times out of 10.
 
  • #36
When I was a kid, for years I had recurring nightmares about plane crashes... I guess because a number of large planes and the Disney Helicopter did crash near my home - in or near Los Angeles - while I was growing up. Even though I really like to fly this used to bother me a bit when I did fly. One day while waiting to board a plane I got this really weird feeling; it was almost like everyone around looked familiar to me. I guess it was some form of deja vu, low blood sugar, or too little sleep, but the feeling was so strong and strange that I nearly didn't board. You never know, you know. I did board and all was fine.

Later I dreamt that not only did the plane crash, and not only did I choose not to board, but the plane hit me and my car as I was leaving the airport! Now how likely would that be? :smile: :smile: :smile: Sometimes my dreams crack me up!
 
  • #37
Ivan Seeking said:
btw, that was base jumping...you know, that really sane sport where you jump off of tall buildings, bridges, and cliffs.
:eek: Oh, so those are the kids who, when asked by their dad, "If everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you do it?" didn't realize it was a rhetorical question and guessed, "Yes?"
 
  • #38
I have always been a thrill seeker but people these days are nuts!

Tsu has a cousin who is a die hard surfer and snow boarder. He is also buddies with several olympic level snow boarders. In his late twenties when I met him, the Big Kahuna [don't remember his real name] of snow boarding had broken some ridiculous number bones - about 130 separate breaks I think - and he was proud of it. I suspect that pride won't be first on his mind when he hits 40; more like pain. :eek: Really he was already in pretty bad shape but still pushing himself.
 
  • #39
Ivan Seeking said:
Animal rider or occupant of animal-drawn vehicle: 1:31,836
Falls of all kinds: 1:246
Fall...from slipping, tripping, and stumbling: 1:6,548
Contact with hot tap-water: 1:64,788
Contact with hornets, wasps and bees: 1:85,882
Narcotics and psychodysleptics [hallucinogens]: 1:567
Other and unspecified drugs, medicaments, and biologicals: 1:666
Alcohol: 1:12,188
Intentional self-harm [of all kinds]: 1:121
Falling, jumping, or pushed from a high place: 1:47,960
Legal intervention involving firearm discharge: 1:11,433
Legal execution: 1:58,618
Or it is 1:1 if you look at the Level III multiverse or many worlds theories. :biggrin:
 
  • #40
Moonbear said:
:eek: Oh, so those are the kids who, when asked by their dad, "If everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you do it?" didn't realize it was a rhetorical question and guessed, "Yes?"

Yeah, that's exactly how I felt towards the end of a rafting trip when we stopped next to a 30 foot cliff so everyone could jump off into the river(Damn, why didn't I use one of my lifelines when he asked that question?) And then my wife asks why I didn't have anything clever to yell while I jumped. Habit, I guess. I always tend to yell the same obscenity when I think I'm about to die.
 
  • #41
I'm not making a joke here, but do you think the odds of dying in a tsunami changed?
 
  • #42
Tribdog: Yes.

So the good news is that you are more likely to be legally shot and killed than you are to fall, jump, or to be pushed from a high place, or to die from alcohol related causes.
WOW, that just made my day! [rolls eyes]
 
  • #43
Ivan Seeking said:
btw, that was base jumping...you know, that really sane sport where you jump off of tall buildings, bridges, and cliffs.
I'm not following... :wink:

There's a skydiving saying on a lot of t-shirts: you'll be fine as long as you don't do something stupid.

Seriously though, the vast majority of skydiving deaths are from stupidity. If it isn't drugs or alcohol, its flying your 'cute fast and low ("swooping") and crashing into the ground.
 
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  • #44
I find this image fascinating.
http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/odds_dying.jpg
 
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  • #45
Moonbear said:
So, if people jumping out of planes cite beestings as more dangerous, what statistics do beekeepers cite to justify what they do?
Probably they weigh the odds of dying from a beesting against the odds of being hit by someone jumping out of a plane. I don't know too many beekeepers who are severely allergic to bees.


Moonbear said:
"Well, at least we're not like that tribdog character who's likely to die from all of the above simultaneously."
Knowing tribdog, he'll discover a new way and become the single statisitic.


DaveC426913 said:
I find this image fascinating.
Such an optimist. :biggrin:
 
  • #46
russ_watters said:
There's a skydiving saying on a lot of t-shirts: you'll be fine as long as you don't do something stupid.

Base jumping IS stupid. There is no room for errors or failures of any kind.
 
  • #47
Burnsys said:
if you are afraid of dying by a terrorist bomb. then you have to carry a bomb with you every time ready to detonate at detection of another explosion... the probabilities of dying from 2 diferent bombs at the same time is really small. :smile:
Anybody remember "The World According to GARP" with Robin Williams?

While they are looking at house to buy, a small plane crashes into it and destroys the second floor.
He immediately says "We'll take it!"
His wife makes strangling noises.
He says "Honey, think of the odds of this happening a second time!"
 

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