SARACANITE

This is a good example of how “hard” statistics can be skillfully worded to imply a message that simply isn’t true. I found this only a moment ago while searching for some numbers regarding cancer deaths per capita from different countries. (see last comment) You’d think that information would be pretty easy to find, but I’m still looking.
One of my google queries was “country cancer per capita” and I came up with this site: http://www.safecarguide.com/exp/statistics/statistics.htm
it’s all about traffic safety but morbid curiosity got the best of me and I read this, and let me tell you, the level of manipulation is very high in this “statistic”:
“United States – The death toll on our highways makes driving the number one cause of death and injury for young people ages 5 to 27. Highway crashes cause 94 percent of all transportation fatalities and 99 percent of all transportation injuries, yet traffic safety programs receive only one percent of the funding of the U.S. DOT budget. The staggering loss of life and the incidence of life-threatening injuries occurring each year is best described as a public health crisis. According to a WHO report, “The Injury Pyramid,” for every motor vehicle injury resulting in death in the US, 13 people sustain injuries severe enough to require hospitalization.”
When you think about how the number one cause of death in the USA is cardiovascular disease (heart disease world wide). This stat might appear confusing. But if you look a second time you will see where the deception is. “Highway crashes cause 94 percent of all transportation fatalities and 99 percent of all transportation injuries”. Now I want you to ask yourself; how else is one supposed to die while driving a car? I mean even if you have a heart attack on the road, you will probably wreck your car and die. So how are these numbers supposed to be frightening? In fact, I’m impressed by that 6% of people who died on the road who weren’t killed in an accident. What the hell were they doing?
You’re probably asking yourself “Where the hell is the ol’ Dick-Meister going with this?”
Well my point is pretty simple: many of these statistics are read like making a wish to a genie. They are meant to be misinterpreted. When you say to the genie you wish for all the money in the world, he’ll give it to you. But you’ll never be able to spend it because it will keep flying back to your pockets. You see? When a statistic says that car accidents are the leading cause of death for people aged 5 to 27, they mean leading cause of death for the age-GROUP. Not necessarily the individual ages in that group. They know that the leading cause of death from ages 5-19 are homicide and suicide, but if they want to sell you traffic safety they tack on the 20-27 years where the car accident deaths are enough to over shadow those SCANT homicide/suicide figures. It is the literal interpretation that you have to look for. The more superfluous language, the greater the odds that it’s a lie.
“But why would they try to fool us, Dick?” Simple my dimwitted friend, it’s ALWAYS beneficial to have your population afraid. When they are afraid, they need to be led, by leaders. They will agree to more police. They will agree to steeper fines. They will agree with higher insurance rates. Higher taxes, etc, etc, ad infinitum. Create a need and fill it! Even safety becomes an industry. Well anyway, the APPEARANCE of safety is an industry. Injury itself is another (and more lucrative) industry, but that is an entirely different discussion.
Statistics, not just traffic statistics, but ALL statistics should be subject to scrutiny for so long as SOMEONE has something to gain from them.