The Journal of the American Medical Association (subscription required for full text) offers a study on car and pedestrian death rates on Presidential Election Days (E.D., believe it or not). When compared to the day before and day afterwards, there was a small but consistent rise every time we’ve elected a president since 1976, approximately 24 more deaths each E.D. This small (18% overall) fatality increase was seen in all parts of the country, across different age groups and genders, drivers and pedestrians, shorter vs. longer polling hours, and Democratic vs. Republican victor. The authors noted that Election Day was deadlier than Super Bowl Sunday, although did not compare these data to more notorious periods such as New Year’s Day and Independence. The Canadian researchers (takes an outsider to figure this out) still recommend participating in democracy, but to avoid speeding as well as alcohol and other distractions. (Drinking while voting is probably not a wise activity). As they say in Chicago, vote early, and vote often.
8 Comments on “Driving To/From Polls May Be Hazardous To Your Health...”
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Of course the issue is distraction. Driving to the local library or fire station, someplace we never go any other day of the year. Finding a parking spot, usually in the rain. Having to deal with those insufferably cheerful blue-haired old ladies from the League of Women Voters who operate the polling places (who did all the work prior to the 19th Amendment anyway?) Then of course being forced ONCE AGAIN to choose between two lousy options because the complete bipartisan domination of the process that has destroyed just about everything the framers created. Then reversing the process to get home all while contemplating the futility of the coin-flip nature of our “choices” offered.
It is a wonder the first Tuesday of November doesn’t look like Death Race 2000 when you think about it.
–chuck
It’s less exciting than voting in person, but here in California you can register to be a permanent vote-by-mail person. You might think someone could design the ballot to require only a single stamp to mail in, but even at $0.79 it’s worth the time savings.
Let see…
I go to vote. I get to choose option (A) Tweedledee or option (B) Tweedledum for prez.
How about option (C)… I throw myself under that bus?
I’m glad I voted early… I had no idea what a risk I would have been taking.
Am considering not even voting. My grandfather did alot of that but I teased him about it. Maybe he saw a few more decades of no real good choices.
Maybe I’ll just go vote for some third Libertarian candidate just because…
Drinking while voting is probably not a wise activity
I respectfully disagree, kind sir.
(Drinking while voting is probably not a wise activity).
Yes, do like me and wait until after voting.
With the genreal depression about the choices not being offered to us among most of the people that I work with, I think it might be more informative to see what the suicide rate looks like from election day up to 7 days later.
My guess is that more miles are driven on election day that the day before and after. Especially by drivers who drive rarely. Also the voting booth is in area where many drivers rarely go to so it is uncommon for them.