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The average American has the same life expectancy as the worst part of England

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Re: The average American has the same life expectancy as the worst part of England

#251
post #97

The original article points out that the primary difference between the US and the UK (as well as other peer countries) is that you're much more likely to die young in the US. A 5-year-old in the United States has a 4% chance of dying before age 40, whereas a 5-year-old in Australia, Austria, Canada, England and Wales, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, or Switzerland has ~1% chance of dying before age 40 (val…

> but rather social problems like drug overdoses, gun violence, and car accidents.

I think you could make a reasonable argument that much of these actually are healthcare problems. But either way, investment in looking after people is the solution, what that looks like is probably more controversial.

Re: The average American has the same life expectancy as the worst part of England

#252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Cars are getting so big that people can’t drive them. While controversial because car companies in the US intentionally chose to market large SUVs to the public, there is some evidence that smaller vehicles are safer and that auto manufacturers have doubled down on unsafe vehicles. Why this is the case, isn’t exactly known, but one of the theories is that bad drivers will get behind bigger cars and take more risks.…

Bigger vehicles by volume are safer, as there is more space for crumple zones. Bigger vehicles by mass are more dangerous, as there is more momentum and kinetic energy involved in a collision.

Bigger vehicles by volume are taller vehicles, they impact pedestrians closer to the vital organs in the upper torso and head. Pedestrians are also more likely to be swallowed / run over by cars with higher ride heights.

Re: The average American has the same life expectancy as the worst part of England

#253
post #97

The original article points out that the primary difference between the US and the UK (as well as other peer countries) is that you're much more likely to die young in the US. A 5-year-old in the United States has a 4% chance of dying before age 40, whereas a 5-year-old in Australia, Austria, Canada, England and Wales, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, or Switzerland has ~1% chance of dying before age 40 (val…

I don't think you have enough information to say this?

Certainly that Americans die young, but that could be because American healthcare does worse for people between 5 and 40.

Eg. You'd prefer to be in a car crash in Canada, because it's more likely that the healthcare will take better care of you

Re: The average American has the same life expectancy as the worst part of England

#254
post #97

The original article points out that the primary difference between the US and the UK (as well as other peer countries) is that you're much more likely to die young in the US. A 5-year-old in the United States has a 4% chance of dying before age 40, whereas a 5-year-old in Australia, Austria, Canada, England and Wales, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, or Switzerland has ~1% chance of dying before age 40 (val…

Woah! Deaths by billion vehicle miles in UK - 5.2. In US - 12.5. (both have tens of thousands of KSI, but the US has over twice as many per cap. In fact, way, more KSI from car accidents than even gun related homicide in the US. I hadn't realized that!) Deaths by gun related homicide in UK - 200. In US - 20000. (Both numbers pale in comparison to motor vehicle deaths, but there are a lot more in the US. Probably to b…

Your drug and gun deaths are totals right? That makes the US look worse than it really is due to the large population difference. If that’s the case then you can divide the US number by about 5 to make it actually comparable (and still terrible).

Re: The average American has the same life expectancy as the worst part of England

#255
post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I’ve driven both large SUVs and smaller subcompacts, and I can talk at length on the pros and cons. One thing I find genuinely surprising is that the Renault Zoes we have as pool cars at work have got far bigger blind spots and far worse visibility than my 25-year-old Range Rover. And, in turn, although that Range Rover is described as an SUV (it's not especially sporty, it's a top-heavy three tonne army truck with…

It's because of modern safety regulations. A, B and C pillars are all thicker, so are doors. Windows don't go as low to improve crash outcomes.

Yes!

My ‘60s Triumph 2000 had amazing visibility. If I’d rolled I’d have died for sure, but I’d have seen the thing that killed me.

Re: The average American has the same life expectancy as the worst part of England

#256

"1 in 25 Americans being born will not make it to their 40th birthday." Wow. Actually impressed with the analysis backing this up. If you read the entire thread, he actually covers nearly every correlating factor I could think of. And it's pretty clearly drugs, guns, suicide, and cars. (The cardio health one doesn't seem as strong). The one that is crazy to me is the uptick in driving fatalities. Cars are an order of…

Cars are getting so big that people can’t drive them. An indescribably sad statistic: In the US, a parent drives over and kills their kid in the driveway every other day [1]. All the guns also cause -a bunch of— some small kids to kill their siblings every year. [1] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna52109

I drive a Ford Focus, my neighbor drives a new F150. Our parking spots are next to each other, this is what is looks like:

https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/ford-focus-2022-5-d...

I laugh every time I walk to my car because I don't want to cry.

Re: The average American has the same life expectancy as the worst part of England

#257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Something happened during the initial stages of the pandemic. People lost their absolute minds and aggressive and reckless driving got way, way worst than I've ever seen. Hell, about an hour ago a cop tailgated me while I was going 15 over the limit, wove through traffic to cut me off, run a red light, then damn near ran another driver off the road. No lights, no emergency, just an asshole. This is the behavior you h…

I thought people in the US drove like insane idiots long before the pandemic. Weaving in and out of lanes, excessive speeding, road rage over the slightest inconvenience and, the dumbest one to me because it is virtually effortless, failure to use turn signals. It's very easy to drive safely but a good chunk of divers seem to outright refuse. Having said that, the data backs you up. 7% increase in per capita road fat…

> failure to use turn signals

Why signal your intentions to your opponent like a chump? They'll just use that information against you to block you from changing lanes, or to duck into a parking lot row ahead of you in a crowded parking lot and steal that empty spot. /s

Re: The average American has the same life expectancy as the worst part of England

#258
post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Cars are getting so big that people can’t drive them. While controversial because car companies in the US intentionally chose to market large SUVs to the public, there is some evidence that smaller vehicles are safer and that auto manufacturers have doubled down on unsafe vehicles. Why this is the case, isn’t exactly known, but one of the theories is that bad drivers will get behind bigger cars and take more risks.…

Americans spend a lot of time in their vehicles. Big vehicles are simply more comfortable and practical on a daily basis, at least outside of a few dense cities. If you're going to be stuck in traffic then might as well have some space to stretch out instead of being squeezed into a compact car. Safety is less of a concern for most buyers. You can argue that this is irrational based on handling or fuel economy or wha…

I’m around 195cm. There is plenty of space. I can fit very comfortably into most vehicles (passenger planes excluded). Outside of leg and elbow room, what can you even do with that extra space when stuck in a traffic jam?

Re: The average American has the same life expectancy as the worst part of England

#259
post #190

As a Danish person I was chocked by the amount of fat people I saw in the US. I know the non-fat healthy Americans on HN and reddit don't like this being brought up and would rather blame "the system". But even the Danish healthcare system would collapse if we were as fat as you.

[deleted]

Re: The average American has the same life expectancy as the worst part of England

#260
post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's so bizarre that America is the only country in the world that seems to face these kinds of problems. As a Canadian who grew up in a household with a dozen firearms, I never once touched those firearms, and hardly ever saw them until I was taken to the range by my father and taught how to use them.

America is the only first world country to border South and Central America, which is the region of the world with a homicide rate orders of magnitude above any other. It is no surprise violence spills over due to proximity.

> America is the only first world country to border South and Central America

The United States has one border with a central America country (Mexico). Please show on the map where it has a border with any south American country?

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