I'm sure most of us have heard this...
I'm curious, though, do you think it's ever occured to the people behind it that there's a simple reason for the statistics falling that way?
The vast majority of our time is spent within that radius (driving or otherwise)...
More time there = more time for accidents to occur there = higher rate of accidents there...
It's not that we're somehow magically more prone to accidents when we're close to home (as they seemingly want us to think, as this statement is always used to convey the message of "you're not as safe at home as you think"), it's simply that we're almost always close to home, so of course we're going to get into more accidents in that area...
Sory, just felt like ranting about a random "human stupidity" annoyance...
ID:30405
 May 8 2007, 3:37 am
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May 8 2007, 3:40 am
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Elation
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5 miles? Are you that's the saying/phrase? Only, as you said, it seems to be a bit of a 'duh' thing to say.
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I agree to a point. Still, I'm much more observant of my surroundings in unfamiliar territory than I am when in places I know very well. In all likelihood, I probably am a slight bit more careless when closer to home, because my knowledge of the area allows me to be.
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Well, it comes in various forms, all boiling down to "Most accidents happen near the home"
Might be "5 miles", "5 minutes", "10 minutes", "10 miles", even "1 mile", etc*... But yeah, every one of them basically says "near the home" Which, as I said, happens to be where most of us spend a great deal of our time... So yeah, "duh", indeed...lol Although, I didn't consider the "familiarity = not paying attention" aspect... From that angle, it's almost a worthwhile warning... It still always comes across as sort of a misinterpretation (intentionally, most likely) of statistics, though... [Edit:] *Feel free to replace with whatever inferior distance unit you're using...lol | |
Most statistics are almost always fudged somehow. It's really annoying that they are considered a respectable form of research.
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SSGX, why not move?</joke>
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You know, I won't be surprised when someone tries to actually use that...
Like some real estate company, or some community struggling for population growth... "You need to move now, because most accidents happen near your home!" | |
Yeah, my mom told me this once asking me to be careful.
I responded in a similar manner (though polite) :P | |
"Move to Cambridge now, and you know why? Most accidents happen within 5 miles of the home!"
I saw that saying in a book once. | |
There was a "Yo mamma is so stupid..." joke that included that. It is what came to my head, but I couldn't think of the exact wording so I didn't try to tell it.
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Danial.Beta wrote:
There was a "Yo mamma is so stupid..." joke that included that. It is what came to my head, but I couldn't think of the exact wording so I didn't try to tell it. Yo mamma is so stupid she moved because most accidents occur within 5 miles of the home. Yo momma is so stupid she has most accidents within 20 miles of the home. | |
"It's not that we're somehow magically more prone to accidents when we're close to home (...) it's simply that we're almost always close to home, so of course we're going to get into more accidents in that area..."
*Starts the slow, awkward, yet motivational clapping that leads to many joining in.* | |
There is actually some merit to the whole near-home argument. Even good drivers drive by reflex when near home, whereas good drivers drive defensively and anticipate danger when not near home.
Said one woman who got into a car accident at Foster & Blue Mountain in Coquitlam: "He should have known that I make this turn every day at this time." | |