I don’t own a motorcycle for two reasons. First, I don’t understand why it’s appealing to ride around while completely exposed to the elements, and second, I have no interest in greatly increasing my chances of death. Based on those same facts, however, I should apparently avoid canoeing too.
Popular YouTube channel Mental Floss began its three part Summer Bummer series last week by examining odd medical conditions. This week, it continued by analyzing potential death rates of various activities. Apparently, rowing six miles in a canoe is equally as dangerous as driving six miles on a motorcycle.
The way potential death is measured is via the unit micromorts. Host John Green touched on how it works a few weeks back. One micromort is equal to a one in a million chance of dying. So, statistically, a person can canoe six miles, motorcycle six miles, drive a car two hundred and thirty miles, fly in an airplane one thousand miles or ride on a train for six thousand miles and wind up with the exact same one in a million chance of dying.
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