> hundreds die for unnecessary elevator deaths yearly Elevator deaths are extremely rare in industrialized countries (a couple dozen per year in the USA), and

> hundreds die for unnecessary elevator deaths yearly Elevator deaths are extremely rare in industrialized countries (a couple dozen per year in the USA), and most are of people working on the elevator (e.g. accidentally falling down the elevator shaft), not passengers riding in an elevator. I think construction elevators are also quite a bit less safe than ordinary passenger elevators. Typical elevators are one of the safest forms of transportation, substantially safer than stairs or ladders.