Please excuse this excursion into areas not of direct concern to matters SHS. But my pal (and co-author) Ralph Nader deserves significant credit that he is being denied. Apparently, we have the lowest auto death rate in history. From the story:
The fourth quarter of 2009 was the 15th consecutive quarter of a falling death rate, the department said. At the beginning of the recession, the drop was linked to a decline in miles traveled, but now, highway travel is rising again, the department said. The number of deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled last year was the lowest since record keeping began, in 1954. The department credited its efforts to promote the use of seat belts and to prevent drunken driving. Insurance industry studies indicate more crash worthy cars played a role.
None of that would have happened had Ralph Nader not launched his lonely campaign for auto safety in 1965 with his epochal book Unsafe at Any Speed. How about a little credit where credit is definitely due?
Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.
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