In any undertaking, I see three factors contributing to risk:
- the undertaker (we can sure kill ourselves by doing things
thoughtlessly or carelessly)
- the implacable workings of fate (running afoul of this has been
referred to as being 'diddled by the dangling dong of destiny')
- the equipment (what we do it with: our undertaking tools, their
quality and quantity, not to include their unplanned failure
-- that's factor 2)
I shan't go through the whole analysis, but I think you can see that
if one plans and equips to withstand any single-contingency equipment
failure and proceeds with care and thought, that driving an Interstate
is far more dangerous than either sailing _or_ mountaineering. A
non-limited-access highway is probably even worse.
I can more easily predict, and survive or hide from, the things that
might unexpectedly imperil me on the mountain or the sea, than I can
the accident caused by the drunk or cretin in the next lane, or the
sleepy commuter in the oncoming line of traffic.
Personally, I feel much safer in/on the water than in either of the
other (or many additional) alternative pursuits. I sail with PFDs but
have never climbed with a parachute.
Regards,
Bill Combs
WWP 19 #439 (Aug 1987)
"Ursa Minor"
Fort Walton Beach FL
ttursine@gnt.net