Click Bait, but interesting article - Cheap Gas May Kill Us All

[jordanread]

http://accidentdatacenter.com/topic/cheap-gas-may-kill-us-all

My little sister got into an accident this morning, and wasn't yet at the hospital, so I was poking around a bit (i.e. blotters and the like) and stumbled across this article, which I thought mentioned a cool correlation (if not causation). And by all, I think the author means not mustachians. Some highlights:

So, what are we going to do with all these savings, aside from blow it on fast food and online shopping (link is external)? Not to be a downer here, but the answer is die violent deaths due to our own recklessness.

In the past, when the gasoline price is not that high, I go to office. I go home. I go shopping. I go home. I pick up my kid from day care. Then I go home. But now, with the gasoline price so high, I try to do all the things together—just do it in one trip.

A $2 drop in gasoline price can translate to about 9,000 road fatalities per year in the U.S.

[MoneyCat]

I hope that cheap gas results in more people purchasing things, because then my investments will increase in value.  Meanwhile, I am putting all the savings I am getting from reduced gas prices into my investments so reduce my time to FIRE.  As for people driving more, well, stupid is as stupid does.  We'll all just have to be careful about those idiots on the roads.

[sol]

So his point is that cheap gas causes people to drive more miles, thus increasing traffic fatalities?

By extension, does he also think that more fuel efficient cars are also going to increase traffic fatalities?  How about electric cars, are those bordering on genocide?

[jordanread]

So his point is that cheap gas causes people to drive more miles, thus increasing traffic fatalities?

By extension, does he also think that more fuel efficient cars are also going to increase traffic fatalities?  How about electric cars, are those bordering on genocide?

Good point. I didn't take the extrapolation that far. I can see where he is coming from, though. As far as fuel efficient cars, my guess is that people with newer cars would drive more carefully if only to not ruin the relatively new purchase. If I had a tesla, I would stay as far away from people as possible :-). Granted, I drive a fuel efficient car, but it's an '88 Sentra with 275,000 miles (~45mpg) and I drive pretty aggressively.

And when you mentioned electric cars and genocide...well, the only thing I could think of was this (Source):