Here’s something your welcome to use that would be fun to include as an “ice breaker” at a safety and health meeting. It’s a ten-question quiz on unusual risk comparisons. The answers are included along with a bit of background information. (I used various sources. One is the book Cause of Death by George Lucas which has an extensive index of respected sources.)
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1) What’s more dangerous, collisions with animals on the road or your bathtub? A: Bathtub. If you are 20 or older in the U.S., you’re two times more likely to drown in the bathtub. About 100 people die in collisions with animals annually versus over 300 who die in the bathtub. (Some were under 20 years old.)
2) What’s the deadliest time to go for a walk? A: 6- 9 p.m. Dusk is the most deadly 3-hour period for pedestrians on U.S. highways.
3) At what age are you most likely to die from a fall? A: Age 65+ Over 80% of home accident deaths from falls occur to people aged 65+.
4) Are you more likely to be killed by a shark or by hemorrhoids? A: Hemorrhoids. More than 10 people in the U.S. die from hemorrhoids in the U.S. every year versus the fewer than 3 per year on average who die from shark attacks.
5) What’s riskier for babies getting baths or, a mother who is not healthy while pregnant? A: Not healthy while pregnant. Although drowning in the bathtub is a top 5 cause of death of infants in the U.S. (approx. 44 deaths to babies under age 1 per year), it pales in comparison to the number of babies who die from low birth weight (4,500).
6) At what age in the U.S. does heart attack become the #1 cause of death? A: Age 45-54 for men versus 75+ for women. When you’re young, you’re more likely to die from an accident, murder, suicide, cancer, or hormones before your heart goes.
7) Are you more likely to die in the U.S. of Lyme disease if you live in the East or the West? A: East. Ticks primarily feed off mice (which are Lyme carriers) in the East versus lizards (which don’t get infected) in the West.
What’s more dangerous: clogged arteries from sitting and eating fatty foods or falling? A: Falling. About a thousand more people die each year from falling (approx. 15,000) than do arteriosclerosis (approx.. 14,000).
How many more years are American women expected to live than men? A: 5 years. The variance of 5+ years (it’s actually 5.4) has not changed since 1999 (79.9 versus 74.5).
Which travels quicker, the particles expelled in your last sneeze, or a big league pitcher’s fastball? A: Sneeze. Power pitchers can throw fastballs at speeds of 95-105 mph (150-170 km/hr) whereas a sneeze can explode at 157.7 mph (252 km/hr).
