Michelle Obama And Steve Jobs Want You To Die!

WMAL hate talk radio gets all excited about a new safety report:

WASHINGTON -- The Governors Highway Safety Association says pedestrian deaths increased in the first half of 2010 and the First Lady's program to get Americans to be more active could be partly responsible.

Governors Highway Safety Administration spokesman Jonathan Adkins told 630 WMAL that Michelle Obama is "trying to get us to walk to work and exercise a little bit more.  While that's good, it also increases our exposure to risk."

Hmm, they are quoting a spokesman - why do our nation's governors hate Michelle?

James Joyner shifts the focus from Michelle to Steve Jobs:

Via Dr. Google, I see “The Governors Highway Safety Association says in the report that 1,891 pedestrians were killed in the first six months of 2010, up from 1,884 in the same period in 2009 — a 0.4 percent increase. ”  Now, I don’t know the historical variation in these things, but I’d say offhand that this is a statistically insignificant swing.   Regardless, a variety of factors — alcohol, technology, and road design among them  – seem to be considered possible explanations for the slight reversal in trend.

Well - here is the news release and the official report (14 page .pdf).  Let's clip this chart of the "trend" - basically, there was no trend from 1999 to 2005; subsequently, the Safe Route To School program is credited with reducing deaths among kids walking to and from school.

As to why the improvement flattened off from 2009 to 2010, the full report is hazy.  They are not blaming Demon Rum:

The role of alcohol in pedestrian fatalities has not changed over the past ten years. In both 1998 and 2008, 42% of fatally-injured pedestrians had a positive blood alcohol concentration (BAC) (NHTSA, 2009b, Table 4). Sixteen states believe that drunk or impaired pedestrians are not an increasing problem while only three states believe that they are.

Steve Jobs is implicated:

Several current lifestyle trends may affect pedestrian crashes and fatalities. Both drivers and pedestrians are increasingly distracted by cell phones and other portable electronic devices.

Michelle is implicated but not directly named (my emphasis):

A focus on liveable communities, or “get moving” health and fitness programs may increase walking and pedestrian-vehicle conflicts, as noted by Florida, Indiana, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Texas. If pedestrians or motorists are distracted, the potential for crashes increases.

Society is indicted - we may all be more homicidal, or experiencing a reduced will to live:

Similar broad social and economic factors also affect total traffic fatalities. It’s possible that the turnaround in pedestrian fatalities – the end of four years of decreases – suggests that the same will be true for total traffic fatalities. Pedestrian fatalities began their four-year decrease in 2006 (Figure 1), the same year that total fatalities began to decrease (NHTSA, 2009a, Table 2). NHTSA’s early estimates are that total traffic fatalities increased by 2.5% in the third quarter of 2010 compared to the same quarter of 2009: the first quarterly increase after 17 consecutive quarters of decreases (NHTSA, 2010a).

It seems ridiculous to blame Michelle for highway deaths; I blame Barack, although others will blame Sarah.

The report emphasizes that their statistics have not been subjected to scientific scrutiny, so their suggestions as to causes amount to informed speculaton. 

A chart is included which shows pedestrian deaths in the first half of 2009 and 2010 by state.  FWIW, the biggest upswings (on an absolute basis) were in Arizona and Florida; that ties in to the "get moving" retirement community theory. Of course, it would make a lot more sense to look at proportional changes and it would be even better to know something about the age of the victims.  One hopes that time will tell.

Bus as a last thought, maybe we ought to be blaming Joe Biden - careful inspection reveals that Delaware had 4 pedestrian deaths in the first half of 2009 and 12 in 2010.  That increase of eight exceeds the entire national increase of seven.  Hmm...

MORE:  Brain lock at the Daily Caller, which tells us that

Pedestrian deaths increased sharply during the first half of 2010, according to the GHSA

"Sharply"?  Otherwise, their story does add that the GHSA spokeflack claims to have been misquoted, or at least misunderstood:

UPDATE: Governors Highway Safety Association Director Barbara Harsha says she was misquoted in a story alleging she blames a rise in pedestrian deaths on Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity program, according to the Atlantic.

“I was misquoted, said Harsha. “We in no way oppose Ms. Obama’s program.” She said she was trying to make a broader point about pedestrian awareness and safety. If Obama’s program is getting more people to walk, “they need to be aware of their surroundings and do so in a safe manner.”

Here is the Washington Examiner article in question.  If Ms. Harsha was misquoted, maybe the official report which cited "get moving" health and fitness programs has an extended typo.

WHEN IS A QUOTE NOT A QUOTE?  A quote is not a quote when it is read by a partisan hack at Mother Jones.  Kate Sheppard tells us this, with my emphasis:

A new report from the Governor's Highway Safety Association is getting lots of press today because some reporters, rather bizarrely, have tried to blame the increase in pedestrian deaths in 2010 on First Lady Michelle Obama's anti-obesity campaign.

Yes, you read that right. See the original piece in The Examiner and the followup in the Daily Caller.

The reporters in question posit that perhaps the increase in the number of pedestrians struck by cars last year, after four years of decline, is because people are out exercising more, choosing to walk when possible instead of hopping in the car.

Sorry, Ms. Sheppard - the reporters weren't positing anything; they were quoting two different spokespersons for the GHSA.  Or misquoting one of them, if we believe her backpedaling (maybe the press flack is a former porfesional athlete - they are always misquoted, no matter what they said.).

Comments

[Dave (in MA)]

Both drivers and pedestrians are increasingly distracted by cell phones and other portable electronic devices.

http://photos.geni.com/p10/4f/37/ae/8c/5344483825362d37/charles-darwin_t2.jpg>

[Danube of Thought]

Zzzzzz....

[J. Biden]

"This is a big fucking deal!"

[Chubby]

((...and road design among them – seem to be considered possible explanations for the slight reversal in trend.))

I'd bet road design. Probably some weerd new pomo road design models out there, tributary to the same river of thought as pomo financial innovation, fashion innovation, moral innovation, marriage innovation, etc.

[Rob Crawford]

Chubby -- my favorite was seeing a "new, innovative, snarl-free" intersection design come across some website last week. I immediately recognized it as the idea used on Telegraph Road in Detroit, which is none of the features described above. In the comments on the item, other people recognized it from other places.

[Boatbuilder]

I predict that sometime in the next two weeks Bloomberg will propose a law requiring pedestrians in NYC to wear helmets and flack vests.

[squaredance]

Well, if Bloomy does not do something about the Dept. of Sanitation, this will be common attire for all public service unions here.

[Porchlight]

Of course, it would make a lot more sense to look at proportional changes and it would be even better to know something about the age of the victims.

Or the age of the drivers.

[Frau Steingehirn]

This won't be a problem after the Singularity.

[Thomas Collins]

WARNING-PROBABLY OF INTEREST ONLY TO RHODE ISLAND JOMers:

Baby Shacks and Iafrate busted for shaking down Providence strip clubs. See LUN.

I think the federales don't understand. In Providence, this is the equivalent of the government enforcing collection of regular fees levied for the privilege of doing business!

[clarice]

I'm blaming Michelle and the hell with the others.

[Brainster]

The increase is statistically insignificant.

Increased walking is bound to lead to increased pedestrian deaths, just as increased bicycle riding is bound to lead to increased bicyclists deaths. What we don't know is the number of lives saved due to the health benefits of walking/cycling.

[DebinNC]

Blue states run by Dems have the biggest budget shortfalls. To save money, students must now walk farther to more centralized bus pick-up spots, making them more vulnerable to being hit by a car or kidnapped by a predator. Obama's oil drilling ban and rising diesel prices make the situation worse.

[centralcal]

So OT it probably doesn't belong on any thread, but this breaking news just came across Twitter:

Gabon officials seize one of the largest hauls of illegal ape, chimpanzee parts in central Africa - BBC

It had a link, which I am simply to squeamish to click on. All I could think was . . . ape parts??? WTH?

[PDinDetroit]

I immediately recognized it as the idea used on Telegraph Road in Detroit, which is none of the features described above.

Telegraph Road runs as slow and congested as it sounds (compared to 21st Century Technology).

[clarice]

Well , Brainster, perhaps we could just use the Administration's formula for jobs "saved" to find the answer.

[Rob Crawford]

Telegraph Road runs as slow and congested as it sounds (compared to 21st Century Technology).

And for six months I commuted along it, from Southfield to Southgate.

Which, ironically, is from the northern 'burbs to the southern 'burbs.

[jimmyk]

RC, that reminds me of when we used to drive down to Columbus and get off at the exit labeled "East to Westerville."

Of course, in Detroit you go south to get to Canada.

[PDinDetroit]

And for six months I commuted along it, from Southfield to Southgate.

I grew up in Southfield, still have relatives there...

[Laura]

Gee, did anyone think that it's because there are TOO MANY FRICKIN CARS IN THE AREA AND NO MORE ROOM TO MOVE!

[Thomas Collins]

See LUN for an interesting post on the Volokh blog on a Fifth Circuit decision in an affirmative action case.

[Bear1909]

How many of the casualties were distracted by eating their ice cream cones and hauling a large caboose?

[Bear1909]

A major traffic artery in Berkeley CA was recently turned into a snarling mess of two lane angst thanks to what the "smart" Orwellian city planners refer to as "Traffic Calming." Doing their part to enhance civility I'm sure.

[jimmyk]

the "smart" Orwellian city planners

I still remember an article 15 years ago or so in the WSJ (I think) about city planners widening sidewalks in cities with dying downtown areas specifically to make traffic worse. The reasoning? Cities with lively downtown areas have traffic congestion, and they want to be more like those cities.

I kid you not.

[Ric Locke]

I dunno about the rest of the country.

Here, with $3 gas and wages kept low by unemployment (soon to get worse -- thanks, EPA!) there are more people walking because they can't afford to drive.

The Enterprise is a rowboat on the Reflecting Pool, and Spock's beard looks like S. F. B. Morse's. I don't know how I got here, and I want to go back.

Regards,
Ric

[clarice]

The juice box kids have been flushed out. After a week of claiming that Sarah was responsible for the Tucson shootings, citing no evidence whatsoever, Media matters and Oliver Willis and who knows who else on journolist are criticizing me for blogging the bit about Michelle being responsible for pedestrian deaths because--get this--the man who made the charge could offer no evidence in support of that claim.

HEH HEH HEH