A Fun Little Post About Snakes, Speedballs, and Serial Killers

Posted on 01-06-2011 by Jon Kelly (Jon)
URL for sharing: http://thisorth.at/87o
2792

The editor of Insure.com reached out to us recently about a fun post they did that's right up our alley. They commissioned an insurance actuary (a math geek who figures out the chances of something bad happening) to compare how risky two things are. What's funny is that they compared things people are usually scared of to something similar but more mundane, like snake bites and dog bites.

I wasn't too surprised that husbands commit more murders than serial killers, since we've all gotten sucked into the occasional Lifetime movie of the week. But some of the other information really surprised me, such as:

Snake bites generally kill fewer than 10 Americans per year. I've come close to stepping on a rattler two or three times, so I would have put that number higher.
The combination of heroin and cocaine is called "speedballs" or "moonrocks," with death rates that are hard to assess. I'm guessing they make you spontaneously combust.
Bears only kill one person a year on average in the U.S., again I would guessed a higher number given their ability to both climb trees and open just about any garbage can mankind has manufactured (not to mention their sharp claws and blazing speed).

Check out the full article, What's more dangerous? A surprising look at everyday risks at Insure.com for all of the gory details! In the meantime, I'm now second guessing every aspect of my life, looking for hidden dangers lurking around every corner. Is one of my favorite summer pass-times actually a death trap in disguise (vote below)?

Disclosure: I am a shareholder and I still do some part-time work for Insure.com's parent company. That said, I wrote this post because I thought the research was interesting and I thought you would enjoy it, too.