Please don't regard this as a troll. I have been diving for over 20 years, consider the sport safe when training and common sense are used, and hope to introduce the port to my pre-teen son next summer (okay he's already introduced and I'm waiting to see if he's ready to be certified).
In any case, my question/comment is this: I frequently see on this board posters reference the comparative saftey of scuba to things like flying, driving a car, and using a vending machine (not sure about the vending machine one but we all hear about the number of people killed by vending machines falling on them). I assume that the data given in these references is in absolute numbers, as opposed to % of the participating population. Is that the case and if so, isn't it an invalid comparison? Of couse a lot more people are killed in car accidents on their way to vacation then die diving on that vacation, but a lot more people take vacations than dive, right?
I'd just like to have a little context when looking at those statements.
In any case, my question/comment is this: I frequently see on this board posters reference the comparative saftey of scuba to things like flying, driving a car, and using a vending machine (not sure about the vending machine one but we all hear about the number of people killed by vending machines falling on them). I assume that the data given in these references is in absolute numbers, as opposed to % of the participating population. Is that the case and if so, isn't it an invalid comparison? Of couse a lot more people are killed in car accidents on their way to vacation then die diving on that vacation, but a lot more people take vacations than dive, right?
I'd just like to have a little context when looking at those statements.