4 ms·
If you asked me whether I would want to pay 5x more for a house that reduces my likelihood of dying in a fire from 0.00427% to 0.00104%, I think I would choose
by gred 2y ago
If you asked me whether I would want to pay 5x more for a house that reduces my likelihood of dying in a fire from 0.00427% to 0.00104%, I think I would choose to roll the dice (and maybe DIY install a $20 smoke detector).
1950: 6,405 fire deaths / 150,000,000 US pop = 0.00427%
2022: 3,490 fire deaths / 335,000,000 US pop = 0.00104%
- ziddoap 2y agoDeath is not the only negative outcome of a house fire.
- bushbaba 2y agoNo but eating McDonald’s or drinking alcohol kill more yet we do it anyways
- slyall 2y agoDeath is a well tracked statistic and a severe and fairly distinct outcome. Other statistics might not be as available or accurate. Similarly the murder rate is a more accurate than other crime rates. Burglaries, muggings and assaults are often not reported to police whereas violent deaths almost always are.
- ziddoap 2y agoSure, I agree. Gred's post however strongly implies that the only outcome worth considering is death. That might be true for them, but I'm not sure if that applies broadly. Speaking from experience, losing your house to a fire is traumatic, expensive, and you lose things that can't be replaced. Even when there are no deaths.
- SoftTalker 2y agoThese are guesses but I think the main reduction in fires from 1950 to 2022 are: a) better electrical wiring and circuit provisioning. Overloaded outlets or circuits were more common in the 1950s. Fuses could also be tampered with more easily than circuit breakers. b) Matches everywhere. You had matches in the kitchen for lighting the stove, and around the house for lighting cigarettes. "Kids playing with matches" was a common cause of fires. You don't hear about that nearly as much today.
- lordnacho 2y agoAlso improvements in medicine might matter
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- slyall 2y agoc) Smoking In 1950 around 50% of adult males smoked, these days it is closer to 15%
- telgareith 2y agoWhy tie it to half the population (in an ideal world)? Just list per capita.
- SoftTalker 2y agoA good number of females also smoked, so the overall percentage of adults was higher than that. "Smoking in bed" was such a common cause of fires that even in elementary school we were taught "never smoke in bed."
- ikekkdcjkfke 2y agoAnd why they have to be lined with retardants
- camgunz 2y ago
- cogman10 2y agoAre you sure it's a 5x difference in material? Like, a big reason for fires in the 50s was paper covered and underspeced wiring. Safe wiring simply uses plastic instead of paper.