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Climate change might be cause of record U.S. road deaths - study
Reuters ^ | August 31, 2017 | Sebastien Malo

Posted on 09/04/2017 8:11:53 AM PDT by Zakeet

Climate change - not increased use of cell phones - might be to blame for an unusual spike in road deaths that hit the United States two years ago, said a study published on Thursday.

The study said people might have used their vehicles more frequently to avoid increasingly bad weather - rising temperatures and heavier rainfall - resulting in an increased number of deaths on the road.

The finding challenges a widespread notion that 2015's hike was the result of increased cell-phone usage by motorists.

[Snip]

Using mathematical models, the retired Yale University epidemiologist also found that for every additional inch (2.5 cm) of rainfall, cars and trucks racked up an average of 66 more miles (105 kms) per motorist for a year.

Hotter than normal outdoors temperatures likely accounted for most of the extra deaths in 2015, Robertson said.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.trust.org ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: climatechange; environment; manbearpig; might; trafficaccidents; weather
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To: Zakeet

Even compared with other climate change articles, this is shockingly stupid.


41 posted on 09/04/2017 8:54:16 AM PDT by Pollster1 ("Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed")
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To: Zakeet

Climate change caused my jock itch.


42 posted on 09/04/2017 8:55:14 AM PDT by Salvavida (The Missouri citizen's militia sends its regards.)
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To: Zakeet

It was 115 here last week. Most of the time I chose to not even go out TO my car. Global warming causes people to stay home. It might even cause nasty moods and less children/population because it’s too hot to [blank]. At least that polar bear has a little chunk of ice.


43 posted on 09/04/2017 8:56:01 AM PDT by Yaelle (We have a Crisis of Information in this country. Our enemies hold the megaphone.)
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To: Zakeet
Climate change - not increased use of cell phones millions of illegals getting drivers licenses in California alone - might be to blame for an unusual spike in road deaths that hit the United States two years ago, said a study published on Thursday
44 posted on 09/04/2017 8:56:33 AM PDT by lewislynn ( Transgender: A person who thinks s/he's wrong side out.)
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To: Wuli

Ice cream causes drowning.

(Famous statistics correlation with the month of August)


45 posted on 09/04/2017 8:57:12 AM PDT by Yaelle (We have a Crisis of Information in this country. Our enemies hold the megaphone.)
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To: Popman
No, he's not an expert on the subject. If he was writing an article about the incidence of AIDS or tuberculosis, he would be.

He makes several related leaps of logic in an analysis where even one of them is questionable. First, he looks at average miles driven simply as a function of temperature and precipitation without accounting for other more likely factors such as fuel prices, employment rates, and job locations. Then he tries to correlate these weather changes with crash statistics that are based on a whole lot of factors that aren't even covered in his study. Lastly, he makes the mistake of assuming that his underlying thesis would be confirmed or contradicted by a study of fatal motor vehicle crashes rather than overall motor vehicle crashes.

I work professionally in a field that ties closely to motor vehicle safety, and I'll be taking a close look at the Federal crash data to see what might have caused that interesting "spike" in 2015 (which may not have been a spike after all, since it looks like crash frequency increased in 2016, too).

Cell phone usage in cars has been cited as a possible factor in the increase of fatal traffic incidents in recent years. I'll add several other factors that probably play a bigger role:

1. An aging population.

2. Increasingly clueless younger drivers who have been sheltered as children and have limited coping skills in driving conditions.

3. Changes in transportation planning policy that have brought about an increase in bicycle and pedestrian activity on public streets. These users are more likely to be fatalities in crashes involving motorized vehicles.

46 posted on 09/04/2017 9:04:14 AM PDT by Alberta's Child ("I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris." -- President Trump, 6/1/2017)
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To: Alberta's Child

Road deaths happen primarily because of.....careless/unattentive drivers, drunks and cell phone distractions.


47 posted on 09/04/2017 9:07:30 AM PDT by caww
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To: Yaelle

We live in S. CA.

My Wife works Retail and she noticed with the Warmer Weather the Customers who braved the heat to go out shopping were especially rude, although she used another word to describe their behavior.


48 posted on 09/04/2017 9:08:19 AM PDT by Kickass Conservative (The way Liberals carry on about Deportation, you would think "Mexico" was Spanish for "Auschwitz".)
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To: Zakeet
Also I heard that global warming is the leading cause of the heartbreak of... "anal seepage"...

I read it on the INTERNETZ so it must be true.

49 posted on 09/04/2017 9:09:10 AM PDT by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the 2nd one...)
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To: caww

Maybe so. In my line of work I wouldn’t even make that statement without having the data to back it up.


50 posted on 09/04/2017 9:43:00 AM PDT by Alberta's Child ("I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris." -- President Trump, 6/1/2017)
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To: Zakeet

The best way to shut up the global warming/climate change dummies is to educate them on Thorium energy.

Tell them to push for that, and all their (real and perceived) problems will be over.

End of story.


51 posted on 09/04/2017 9:45:29 AM PDT by Paulie (America without Christ is like a Chemistry book without the periodic table.)
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To: Alberta's Child

Well thankfully I can draw conclusions based on the information and data gathered from numerous sources and arrive at how I see it.....but understand you have to do the data thing.


52 posted on 09/04/2017 9:47:56 AM PDT by caww
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To: caww

‘Road deaths happen primarily because of.....careless/unattentive drivers, drunks and cell phone distractions.’

muslim jihadis should get a mention in that list...


53 posted on 09/04/2017 9:48:45 AM PDT by IrishBrigade
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To: IrishBrigade

Foreigners in general I would suspect...LolOlOlOl


54 posted on 09/04/2017 9:50:12 AM PDT by caww
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To: caww
Right. Something else to think about is that the underlying data could potentially be misleading, too.

Here's a good example:

Motorist A is driving drunk. He drives through a green light at a signalized intersection and is struck by Motorist B -- who is perfectly sober. This would be categorized as an "alcohol-related crash," but in fact the alcohol -- even if Motorist A blew a .20 on a breathalyzer test -- may have played no contributing role to the crash at all.

55 posted on 09/04/2017 9:52:06 AM PDT by Alberta's Child ("I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris." -- President Trump, 6/1/2017)
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To: Alberta's Child

Now I would say.....don’t drive when drunk thus a none issue of a ‘alcoholic-related crash”......”related”....is in itself an evasive term... drunk driving leads to a loss of coordination, poor judgment, slowed reflexes, distorted vision, memory lapses, and even blackouts. Therefore it’s more than just related.


56 posted on 09/04/2017 10:20:52 AM PDT by caww
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To: Alberta's Child

Now I would say.....don’t drive when drunk thus a none issue of a ‘alcoholic-related crash”......”related”....is in itself an evasive term... drunk driving leads to a loss of coordination, poor judgment, slowed reflexes, distorted vision, memory lapses, and even blackouts. Therefore it’s more than just related.


57 posted on 09/04/2017 10:21:05 AM PDT by caww
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To: Kickass Conservative

I’m sorry they aren’t treating her well, but I do get it. This weird weather has given my whole family headaches... you’re uncomfortable, it feels like you’re walking around inside an oven.

This is all the sun’s fault. When will AlGore start selling sunspot credits?


58 posted on 09/04/2017 10:32:44 AM PDT by Yaelle (We have a Crisis of Information in this country. Our enemies hold the megaphone.)
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To: Daffynition

Misplaced trust kills you and your two kids. What do I win?


59 posted on 09/04/2017 10:35:21 AM PDT by xander (TRUMPing nonsense with common sense)
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To: RightGeek

“Global Warming - is there anything it can’t do?”

Yes. It is absolutely unimaginable for it to ever have any positive effects. Out of the question, don’t you dare even go there.


60 posted on 09/04/2017 10:40:11 AM PDT by aquila48
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