Photo credit: AP
As a resident of Houston,
Texas, it was only to be expected that following Texas governor Greg Abbott's
executive order allowing institutions and businesses to take the first steps
towards reopening our "economy", there would be a crescendo of folks
opining on where that leaves the Lone Star State. I have heard friends describe
Texas (along with Georgia) as a canary in the coal mine, while others have
attempted to rationalize the risk of death from coronavirus as analogous to
that from an automobile fatality. Regarding the latter, let us be very clear
that the two are very different things, though the comparison could offer some
important lessons in how to analyze risks of the coronavirus and individual
choices going forward.
Without delving too deeply
into the number of traffic fatalities that occur daily or annually, let us
assume that the numbers are nearly identical to the fatalities from COVID-19.
With that said, there are a few factors we can consider as key contributors that
cause traffic fatalities including: driving at a high rate of speed, distracted
driving, failure to wear a seat-belt, failure to maintain good brakes and
tires, using of a mobile device while driving, driving late at night, impaired
driving, failure to drive defensively, human error, and the driver of the other
car engaging in any of the aforementioned behaviors or failing in any of the
safety precautionary procedures.
The parallel to that in analyzing risk factors associated with fatality from COVID-19 would be: failure to wear a mask, failure to wear gloves when touching surfaces touched by others, failure to wash or disinfect your hands regularly, being in contact with a lot of people, touching your face frequently when outside your home, failing to maintain social-distancing, working out at the gym with others, being in contact with an asymptomatic carrier of the virus, being in close proximity of people in public outdoor spaces, and being indoors in public places with people not from your household.
Consideration of the risk
factors of dying or seriously harming oneself from a car accident is the reason
most people take precautions and make efforts to focus while driving, wear a
seat belt, drive defensively, and why some do not drive late at night. Similarly,
it is only reasonable that many people wear gloves and masks voluntarily, stay
home as much as possible, limit interaction with others, and will not go into
your restaurant, gym, mall, retail store, or movie theater come May 1st. So
from a strictly comparative standpoint, most people will effectively be taking
precautionary steps to continue to protect themselves from contracting the
coronavirus, in the same manner most drivers will continue to take
precautionary measures to protect themselves while driving.
Finally, a fear of dying is
not the only risk associated with contracting COVID-19. Rather, one has to
consider the consequences it stands to wreak on your family, finances, and your
future. If you are one of the many "lucky" ones who are asymptomatic
carriers, you now carry the burden of not infecting those in your household or
family who may not fare as well against the disease. If you are one of the
mis-fortunate ones who are sickened by this disease, you have a grueling
pathway ahead, which includes weeks spent in isolation from your family,
potentially high medical bills, and other potential long-term health
consequences that many who have recovered from the disease have to endure.
Laolu Davies-Yemitan is a real estate broker and developer who
specializes in housing, multifamily development, and urban revitalization. He
editorializes on issues related to affordable housing, real estate markets,
public policy, and current affairs. LaoluD.blogspot.com;
Twitter: @laoludavies
