Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Automobile Fatalities or COVID-19, Which Should We Fear More?




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