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Comment by seanmcdirmid

5 hours ago

> You can die unexpectedly from things far less dangerous than motorcycles.

Existantials are always trivially true. But statistically:

> The lifetime odds of dying as a motorcyclist are roughly 1 in 726. While data specifically tracking "slipping on ice while walking" is rarely isolated on its own, it falls under the broader National Safety Council category for deaths by falls, which has a lifetime odds of 1 in 89.

However, if we compare reduced life expectancy:

> General lifetime falls reduce life expectancy significantly more across the whole population than motorcycle riding, but a motorcycle crash reduces a single rider's life expectancy far more severely.

> Riding a motorcycle poses a vastly higher immediate threat to your lifespan than the everyday risk of falling. On a per-hour basis, riding a motorcycle costs roughly 5 microlives per hour of operation (shaving 2.5 hours off your life expectancy for every hour you ride) because of high speeds and a lack of external frame protection. In contrast, the risk of general falling—despite including hazards like ladders, stairs, and slippery surfaces—costs the average person less than a small fraction of a single microlife per hour of daily movement. While falls ultimately claim more total lives because everyone is exposed to gravity daily, an individual actively trading riding time for walking time dramatically improves their statistical life expectancy by drastically lowering their microlife expenditure.

i feel like lifetime is not the proper timeframe to use. Lots of 80 year olds die from falls. 40 year old dying from a fall is a rarity

> The lifetime odds of dying as a motorcyclist are roughly 1 in 726.

The relative danger of motorcycling was not my point.

My point was: Everyone's lifetime odds of dying are 1 in 1. You don't know what will get you but rest assured something certainly will. So, carry insurance if you have dependents.

This isn't morbid, BTW. It's incredibly freeing to know that your family will be financially okay in the unexpected event you are incapacitated or killed.