Summer Risks vs. Realities

From WebMD

The news media are so full of warnings about potential summer health hazards that you may wonder, as the season wears on, how anyone ever comes through unscathed.

Recall, for instance, the summer of 2001, which Time magazine dubbed "The Summer of the Shark" after 50 swimmers were attacked off the coast of the U.S., and three died from their wounds. The next summer brought alarming reports of the rapid spread of West Nile virus. It had made its way from New York to California, infecting thousands and killing hundreds.

What you probably didn't hear, however, is that for every one unfortunate who met his end in the jaws of a shark, at least 1,000 drowned; and while 201 people nationwide died of West Nile infection in 2002, car crashes killed nearly 43,000.

The Danger: Lifetime Odds

Death by car accident
1 in 228

Drowning death
1 in 1,081

Bicycle accident death
1 in 4,857

Death by excessive natural heat
1 in 10,643

Death by lightning
1 in 56,439