High Oil Prices - There is good news

America has a population of around 300 million. South Africa has less than 50. Every year over 36 000 Americans die in car accidents. Proportionately (based on driving population), South Africa should have less than 3000 people dying in car wrecks. "In South Africa one is 14 times more likely to die in a traffic accident than in the US," according to Rob Handfield-Jones, spokesperson for the AA. Over 12 000 people die every year in car wrekcs in South Africa, almost 40 a day.

clipped from news.yahoo.com And the number of people killed in U.S. traffic accidents that year topped 36,200. Experts who have studied motor vehicle fatality trends said one reason for the dramatic decline is that people are reducing their nonessential driving first, which is often leisure driving at night or on weekends. That also happens to be riskier than daylight commuting on congested highways at lower speeds. Teenage and elderly drivers — who also have higher accident rates — are more likely to feel the pinch of higher gas prices, and thus may be cutting back more than other drivers. And, some drivers are simply trying to save on gas by slowing down, which also decreases risk.