1. “The Daily Shower Can Be a Killer“

Background: Jared Diamond, a 75 year old man, has seen countless friends among himself and his wife be seriously injured due to various falls. Jared has come to realize that little simple dangers may have a little chance to happen, but the little chance should still be taken seriously. For example, if the probability to fall in the shower is 1 in a thousand,  at 75 to live another 15 years, Jared could face serious injury or death about 5 times. Any possibility of an accident should be taken carefully.

How I Intend to Use It: This New York times article sprouted the idea that everyday accidents cause many accidents and deaths, and that these injuries are commonly overlooked.  Although this source does not have any actual numbers, only rough estimates and examples, this article has inspired my ideas. I will look into types of accidents and the death counts, and see how seriously accidents should be taken.

2. “The Odds of Dying“

Background: There are countless ways to die. As terrible as it sounds, it’s true. However, there are more common ways to die than others, such as health issues, or motor vehicle accidents. The National Center for Health Statistics put together a listing of common ways to die, matched with their odds. The odds vary depending on where the location is because causes such as Earthquakes and storms tend to happen in more areas than others. Many numbers pertaining to my topic are listed; such as accidental injuries with a 1-in-36 chance to happen, and falling down with lifetime odds of 1 in 246.

How I Intend to Use It: The source provides various numbers showing the chance of dying in certain ways. However, the numbers stated are general statistics. The chance of accidental incidents is much higher when the person is either very young, or old. I will be able to use the general numbers to be able to reference to. I can also give some actual statistic numbers to be able to help readers visualize the chances of accidents happening in perspective to other causes of injuries and death.

3. “What Are The Odds?“

Background: Certain odds stack up against one another very interestingly, such as dying of a dog bite being more rare than the odds of becoming president, or that there is higher chance to be struck by lightning than to win the lottery.  In the brief description of the article, it mentions that most people fear salmonella, while there is a greater chance to die from appendicitis. Similarly, the focus would be similar to my thesis of focusing on accidents.

How I Intend to Use It: Although many odds may seem humorous or ridiculous, they are helpful to be able to show how often (or not often) certain things occur. I can also use this source to be able to look at many odds. Although, this source is mostly just a list, and lacks and other important information to be able to fully support my thesis. Many of the odds also do not relate to what I would hope to utilize, but can still be used to establish a viewpoint.

4. “9/11 Death Statistics“

Background:  On September 11, 2001, a tragedy happened in America. The World Trade Center, a symbol of world unity, was taken down as an act of terrorism. 19 Islamic militants hijacked four airliners, and performed suicide attacks against US targets. Resulting from the crashing towers and planes, a high death toll erupted. Tragically, the death count was 2,996.

How I Intend to Use It: 9/11 is one of the most well known disasters of the century. The death count is also one of the highest results of a disaster during these recent years. Using this recognizable event, I can compare the number of deaths due to accidents. However, the article can serve only this purpose.

5. “Personal Safety: How to Avoid Accidents and Live A Safe, Longer & Happy Life“

Background:  In his description of accidents, The CEO of I-key Benney reveals that he believes accidents are sometimes not accidents. Accidents may occur after various types of prerequisites. The CEO, backing up his statement “Accidents are caused!” says that they are caused by an unsafe condition and unsafe actions. For example, an unsafe vehicle and jaywalking are unsafe conditions and unsafe actions. These actions may even be faced in everyday life, or more often than most realize.

How I Intend to Use It: I will be able to refute the common argument of what is an accident and what is not. Using this article to demonstrate what many people probably think, I will accept and provide my counterexamples. Although some accidents are believed to be caused, in many cases the accidents can still be prevented by focusing on the “prerequisites.”

6. “Wound Care: Your Essential First Aid Care Guide“

Background:  A third of all injures happen in the home, most commonly affecting small children and elderly adults. The five most common home injuries are falls, choking and suffocation, burns, poisoning, and knife cuts. Those under 5 and over 70 are the most common fallers, while 90% of poisonings also happen in the home. Although, preventing them just takes some thought and time.

How I Intend to Use It: Looking at the at home aspect of accidents, this source demonstrates age groups, percentages, and how to avoid the most common accidents. I will use this to demonstrate the at home accidents, and how accidents can be minimized. Most people look at the home as a sanctuary, while it can be the complete opposite if safety isn’t used. Also, the numbers reveal how dangerous the home actually can be, especially for certain ages.

7. “Accidental Death Rate Creeping Higher in U.S.”

Background: The National Safety Council reported that the accidental death rate has reached 12% higher compared to the lowest rate on record in 1992. This means that if the trend continues, the high of 116,385 accidental deaths set in 1969 could be surpassed. Although seatbelts, airbags, and smoke detectors have saved many lives, the increase of falls among the elderly and accidental drug overdoses are re-adding to the death count. For falls of people older than 65, the percent rose 31% from 1999 to 2003, leaving falls still amongst one of the top leading causes of death.

How I Intend to Use It: Being one of the most juicy articles retrieved, the article provides many year comparisons, percentages, and reliable numbers. I will use this source to provide the backbone of the statistics. The numbers need to be seen, because it provides the best spread across recent years and the increasing percentages. The report focuses mainly on the main causes of accidental deaths, and shows that they are increasing, while focusing on both inside the home, and on the outside world.

8. “U.S. Disaster Statistics“

Background: The U.S. Natural Hazard Statistics provided information of fatalities, injuries, and damages caused by weather hazards. The top three disaster related events were floods, hurricanes and heat. Spread from 1980 to 2008, there were 601 events, with these events killing 12,030, and causing $16,671,776 (x1000) worth in damages. Storms, the most common disaster per year at 12.69 averaged per year, killed only 1,833 in 2005 while causing $125,000,000 in damages.

How I Intend to Use It: Many people believe that natural disasters kill more people than accidents. I can utilize this article to prove that accidents kill much more, but are constantly overlooked because of disasters. What most notice from disasters is the damages and the deaths put together. However, accidents kill much more over time, while disasters kill many quickly.

9. “Accidents or Unintentional Injuries“

Background: In the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care survey for 2010, there were 29.3 million listed emergency department visits for unintentional injuries in the U.S..  The number of deaths was 120,859 from all unintentional injuries. In specific types of accidental deaths, falls, motor vehicle incidents, and poisonings caused the most deaths, with roughly 26k, 34k, and 33k deaths (respectively).

How I Intend to Use It: This statistical source is very recent to today’s year. This article also continues to focus on the main three of accidental deaths, falls, traffic deaths, and poisonings. I can use this source to show the number of total and specific deaths, along with the extremely high number of emergency room visits for a recent year. This will provide more current numbers for readers to look at and relate to today’s possible numbers.

10. “Accidental Death Insurance“

Background: There is a likelihood of a fatal accident happening every four minutes, according to Injury Facts, 2010 Edition. Insurance companies such as Mutual of Omaha guarantee that with such a likelihood, we’re covered by their insurance. Like many insurance companies, accidental death is covered. Mutual of Omaha covers guaranteed coverage of up $1 million for those between the ages of 18-70, covering common carrier benefits, auto and pedestrian benefits, and an all-risk general accident coverage.

How I Intend to Use It: Many insurance companies cover accidental deaths. I can use this source to show that the coverage may be worth it. Although the most common accidental deaths are above 65 and below 5, and coverage is only guaranteed between 18 and 70, being covered through the bulk of life may seem worth it with an incident happening every 4 minutes. However, the coverage may also not seem worth it if we can be careful enough, or attempt to minimize the number of accidental deaths.