Risk of dying while walking along the road is 19 times higher than in a recalled Toyota

At the request of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the National Academy of Sciences investigated the risks of driving a recalled Toyota.

According to Paul Fischbeck, a professor of social and decision sciences and engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, the risk of dying in a traffic crash is 1.05 deaths per 100 million miles traveled. Taking into account the 2.3 million Toyota vehicles recalled for sticky gas pedals, Fischbeck said that the risk of dying would rise to 1.07 per 100 million miles traveled if all the recalled vehicles remained unfixed.

That number translates into an additional six deaths annually or one Toyota-recall death per 5 billion miles traveled.

“If you canoe for half-a-mile you incur a 2-in-a-million risk of dying,” Fischbeck said. “Walking for 10 miles is about the same.” He said that mile for mile, the risk of dying while walking along the road is 19 times higher than that of driving in a recalled Toyota.

Toyota said earlier this month that it has completed more than five million fixes on vehicles involved in three key recalls.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Detroit News