Lake Martin Topics: Chimney Rock accident

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	Name:	MartiniMan -
	Subject:	Chimney Rock accident
	Date:	6/11/2010 9:44:36 AM

If you look at driving alone I think the comparison is reasonable but you need to look at the right population. Drivers under age 24 make up 10% of the driving population and account for 30% of the total cost of auto accidents. The death rate for teenage boys is 19.4 per 100,000 in the population. I am only aware of one death jumping from the rock and would guess that tens of thousands have jumped over the years so the numbers are about right. In fact it is entirely possible that driving is statistically more dangerous than jumping off a rock for teenage boys and for the lower rock it is indisputable. As for boating I have heard of dozens of deaths on Lake Martin alone during the same time period and yet I hear no cries of irresponsibility in taking your kids out in a boat.

Extending your logic, to say senior citizens, and I could argue that the rock is infinitely safer because many more deaths have occurred in autos with that demographic while none have died jumping from the rock. My only point is that you are ascribing apparent levels of risk that are simply not supported by the facts. As I said in my earlier posts the risk of serious injury off the high cliff doesn't justify the thrill but there is no problem with the lower one. And no parent that allows their children to jump off the lower one, provided they provide guidance and oversight, is being irresponsible. Or at least they are no more irresponsible than any parent that lets their child go swimming or drive a car, if you want to call that irresponsible simply because it entails a certain amount of risk. This is an emotional response and not logical.