# Car vs Shark stats debate



## Slide (Oct 25, 2007)

Hi all

I have been giving the shark vs car stats debate some thought (yes, I am bored)

These are my guesses (I haven't checked any of these numbers)

20 000 000 people in Aus
10 000 000 cars
2 trips per day per car 
20 000 000 trips per day
7300 000 000 trips per year
1600 fatalities/year
1 fatality every 4 562 500 trips (how is that for the guessing game)

2000 yak fishers on the forum (I read this somewhere I think)
8000 yak fishers in Aus?
1 trip per yak per week
416000 yak fishing trips per year
x 10 roughly gives you the 4. 56 million above
So if we have one fatality every ten years then the stats are roughly the same, if we have two fatalities every ten years then it is more dangerous to fish from a yak.

Somewhere in this I reckon I am talking complete rubbish but it was fun (for me)


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## FoolInjected (Feb 4, 2008)

95% of all statistics are made up :lol:


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## theclick (Jun 25, 2007)

With that in mind, there are probably 10 times more serious injuries in cars than there are deaths.

Serious injuries from shark attacks would be a lesser proportion


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## DrJed (Sep 13, 2007)

42% of people surveyed believed any statistic given to them.

imagine a world without hypothetical situations...............


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## yankatthebay (Dec 14, 2007)

I get asked questions ever year from the Bureau of Statistics through work a number of questions, they always ask questions about something 3-6 months ago that no one ever has answers to, so most people just make the numbers up. Sure they are approx values, but could easily be out by 50% in some cases.

So Statistics should never be believed as being fact.


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## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

there are lies, damn lies and statistics.......

good topic though slide.....gets you thinking...everytime i launch in the creeks here there is always some bugger going "aren't you worried about crocs?" to which i reply "i put myself in more danger driving here" which they all tend to agree with, then hop in their cars and drive off......


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## andybear (Jan 15, 2006)

So....the fact is or are ...stats are bollocks.....or stats is bollocks......take your pick!

Cheers all Andybear  

Statistician in 1904 worked out that by 1985 London would be shoulder deep in horse shit......was he wrong?


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## pavariangoo (Mar 1, 2008)

By my thinking it is comparing apples to peaches.

You do not have 2 common factors. If the same amount of people kayaked as they did drove, then you could. (Although your math was beyond my comprehension at the start  )

To me, there are just a micron of people kayaking, in kayak water, with a shark. To compare the two, not only would you have to compare kayakers and car drivers in equal parts, but you would have to compare shark attacks to car crashes, not shark attacks to car trips. To get common factors you need to break it into trips, and dangers. The trips are for example, how many kayakers are on the water, and how many drivers are on the road. The danger in a car, is crashing, and on a kayak, is being ripped to shreads by a toothed monster.

The thing is, (Another ignored factor) is that in a car, you assume that the danger (Crashing) is always there, which is IS. You assume the danger of being eaten by a great white while on the yak is always there (Which is ISNT). To compare both dangers equally you are ASSUMING that kayakers are ALWAYS in the presence of a shark, just as cars a ALWAYS at risk of a crash. Balance it a bit more by saying Car crashes VS Kayaks that swim over sharks. This is a better way it can be measured, set the scene as you are evaluating it, CRASHES vs SHARK ATTACKS

Take 1000 cars for example, and set them in a random environment where each of them is doing something like speeding, or another equally stupid maneuvre. No doubt many will crash.

Now take 1000 Kayakers (Now equal factor for this part) and set them IN KNOWN SHARK WATERS (Cars always are at risk of crashing, kayaks are not, so the kayaks being tested for shark attacks when they aren't in shark waters are throwing off the stats). I would garantee now, that of the 1000 kayakers in CLOSE proximity to sharks (Cars are always in close proximity to cars, yet kayakers can be 6km from a shark) and you would see that proportion of kayakers attacked by sharks vs people who crash cars come to a more even balance.

I think alot of people read too much into statistics,(I haven't here, i have tried to take the guessing out a bit) and people try to find ways of saying "Nah I'm right, look at the stats". People forget that 1 shark in a 6km radius, vs 250 cars in that radius, is not something that can be judged fairly. Personally, regardless of stats, I think I, and many other people, can confidently say that I would rather be in speeding traffic then on the water with a shark. Now that you see that far, try comparing apples to apples, and see (Each car is a potentially fatal danger, as is each shark) now if you have as many sharks as cars in that radius, how the shark attack stats rocket.

I am not one to read alot into things, but it confuses me to see how people think that kayaking is any less of a danger then driving, regardless of stats.

This is an interesting topic, I hope my long boring bit here has been of use at all, and I am curious to see what other people say.

Cheers

Kristian


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## pavariangoo (Mar 1, 2008)

Well atleast it made sure you got some sleep


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

hmmm, interesting... shark or car hey?

well then what's the likelihood of getting hit by this?


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## pavariangoo (Mar 1, 2008)

:shock: Oh no


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## yankatthebay (Dec 14, 2007)

so if this hit your car while you were transporting your yak - how would you categorise that pav? since you seem to have an answer for everything here so far. Of is that just statistically out of the question to crash a car and get your yak attacked by a shark at the same time.


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## Breambo (Apr 19, 2006)

Regardless of pointless statistics if you fish from a kayak your chances of being attacked by a shark are a lot higher than someone who does not fish from a kayak.


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## pavariangoo (Mar 1, 2008)

yan, I do not have an answer for everything I do not no why are are commenting as such, it was nothing more then a long post

Breambo is spot on


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## Guest (Mar 20, 2008)

> Regardless of pointless statistics if you fish from a kayak your chances of being attacked by a shark are a lot higher than someone who does not fish from a kayak.


Yep. You can pretty much take that to the bank.


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## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

Breambo said:


> Regardless of pointless statistics if you fish from a kayak your chances of being attacked by a shark are a lot higher than someone who does not fish from a kayak.


very true...but whats the chances of getting attacked by a shark when driving your car????? sorry couldn't help myself


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## FoolInjected (Feb 4, 2008)

Astro said:


> Breambo said:
> 
> 
> > Regardless of pointless statistics if you fish from a kayak your chances of being attacked by a shark are a lot higher than someone who does not fish from a kayak.
> ...


Can't answer that one I do advise care when buying a car or one of those Car Dealer Sharks might get ya


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## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

occy said:


> I found Pavs response quite useful actually, so leave him alone will ya. I printed a copy and keep it on my bedside table for those times I have trouble getting to sleep (bloody full moons). :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
> 
> Good onya Pav. No offence meant mate, it's just my warped sense of humour. :wink:


full moons affect me too.....


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## Breambo (Apr 19, 2006)

Astro said:


> very true...but whats the chances of getting attacked by a shark when driving your car????? sorry couldn't help myself


Probably quite high if you crashed into a shark invested waterway. :lol:


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## yankatthebay (Dec 14, 2007)

sorry pav, you took my post too seriously. Was not trying to offend, nor was I trying to disagree with it.


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## pavariangoo (Mar 1, 2008)

Its all good, and I do advise you use it to put yourself to sleep  Glad someone found a use for my babble 

Kristian


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## Brownie (Aug 15, 2007)

Breambo said:


> Astro said:
> 
> 
> > very true...but whats the chances of getting attacked by a shark when driving your car????? sorry couldn't help myself
> ...


Who needs shark infested waterways


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## Biggera Yakker (Jan 25, 2007)

What about the chance of getting hit by lightning compared to being attacked by a shark?


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