South Carolina Daily Traffic Fatality Count - Did "Home or Work" Make a differen

[carolinarider09]

The following information is YTD for South Carolina.  What is of interest is the number of motorcycle related deaths in the state, YTD, compared to automobile related deaths.  The comparison is between 2019 YTD and 2020 YTD.  I have included other data as well and also the reference.  

The fact that automobile related deaths are down compared to last year and the number of motorcycle related deaths is the same as last year (well almost) during the states "Home or Work" initiative is interesting.  And granted, it was not in affect for the first two and half months of the year.  

Automobile Related
2020  - 212
2019 -  282

Motorcycle
2020 -  20
2019 -  21

Pedestrians
2020 -  41
2019 -  54

Bicyclists
2020 - 1
2019 - 10

Pedestrians
2020 - 41
2019 - 54

Number of Covid-19 deaths YTD 177

https://fatality-count-scdps.hub.arcgis.com

[Avanti]

I believe Motorcycle casualties are mostly self inflicted due to rider error and therefor very little change.

[DarkSideR]

Interesting post

Thanks for sharing your homework assignment.

[carolinarider09]

Avanti,

I would agree with you about being self-inflicted for motorcycle deaths.  But I found the information interesting given the situation with the roads being less populated and the "Work or Go Home" position of our state for the last six weeks (I think). 

I would have expected the death rate for automobile deaths to be down (as it was) but the motorcycle related deaths was fairly flat. 

[3fan4life]

Avanti,

I would agree with you about being self-inflicted for motorcycle deaths.  But I found the information interesting given the situation with the roads being less populated and the "Work or Go Home" position of our state for the last six weeks (I think).  

I would have expected the death rate for automobile deaths to be down (as it was) but the motorcycle related deaths was fairly flat.  

My guess would be that SC not having a helmet law increases the # of rider deaths.

Still, you would think that less traffic would equal less deaths.

[carolinarider09]

3fan4life

My thoughts exactly.  And, while I have ridden in January and February, back and forth to work, motorcycle traffic is generally lower in those months. 

Just my opinion, no facts to base it on. 

[hubcapsc]

It looks like there's less cars out there to run over the bicyclists.

-Mike

[RDAbull]

Obviously you have not been paying attention.

All of these deaths 2020 are Covid related---That will create more Fed bailout cash.

[Willow]

Interestingly I've read that heart attack and stroke deaths have been down during the COVID-19 crisis.  It seems at least some of the COVID-19 deaths (pre-existing conditions) may have does anyway without the virus.

[Valkorado]

Interestingly I've read that heart attack and stroke deaths have been down during the COVID-19 crisis.  It seems at least some of the COVID-19 deaths (pre-existing conditions) may have does anyway without the virus.

Not really hard to understand.  COVID in itself doesn't kill, it's underlying effects on (potentially already diseased) organs that cause death -- most commonly double pneumonia in the lungs, heart attack and brain stroke.  

While these patients might have been ripe to rack up their death statistics in one of the other categories, they got COVID which acted as a catalyst and stressed their often already diseased organs and immune systems.  They kicked the bucket while positive for COVID.  It's likely many of these positive testing patients were considered COVID deaths, even though their failing organs took then out.

Now the moral dilemma.

In these cases is the death certificate inaccurate?  Tough call.

[Willow]

You may be missing my point.  I've no issue with identifying the deaths as either COVID-19 or heart attack or stroke.  My point is that we are presented with the idea that COVID-19 is killing people that otherwise would not die but the numbers support that a fair percentage of those killed related to COVID-19 would have died this month anyway.  Certainly not all COVID-19 deaths fall into that category but it does cause the impact of COVID-19 to appear more than it actually is.   

[Valkorado]

You may be missing my point.  I've no issue with identifying the deaths as either COVID-19 or heart attack or stroke.  My point is that we are presented with the idea that COVID-19 is killing people that otherwise would not die but the numbers support that a fair percentage of those killed related to COVID-19 would have died this month anyway.  Certainly not all COVID-19 deaths fall into that category but it does cause the impact of COVID-19 to appear more than it actually is.   

I agree.