While 33 men were rescued from a Chilean mine, 6500 people died on American streets

From Biking in LA
Like everyone else, I kept an eye on the TV since the rescue of the Chilean miners began late Tuesday night.
My spirits soared when Florencio Avalos reached the surface, the first of 33 miners to be saved. And I’ve said a prayer of thanks for every one who has been brought out safe and alive, and rejoiced when the rescue capsule was raised for the last time and the final rescuer stepped out.
But let’s put this in perspective.
In the 10 weeks since the 33 miners were trapped on August 5, the world watched in rapt attention as an international team of rescuers literally moved the earth to bring them out.
But during the same 10 weeks, over 6,500 people died on American streets, based on statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
In the same period, roughly 850 pedestrians and 140 bicyclists were killed in motor vehicle collisions.
By my count, 12 cyclists were killed by motor vehicles here in Southern California alone since August 5 alone; another died as the result of a collision with a pedestrian.
And no one even noticed.
No massive press response. No live coverage.
No 24/7 media watch tracking the safety of every motorist, cyclist, pedestrian and transit user throughout their journey, and breathlessly reporting when each arrived safely at their destination. Or breaking the tragic news to the world when one of the 33,963 people who were killed on our streets last year didn’t make it back again.
Those same statistics tell us that of the millions of people who will leave their homes today, 93 won’t return.
It could be you. Or me. It could be someone you love, or someone you barely know. Someone who once crossed your path, or someone you’ll never meet.
It’s just collateral damage. The price we’ve come to accept for the privilege of getting from here to there. 93 people every day. 651 every week. 2830 every month.
Roughly one person killed on American roads every 15 minutes.
And it touches virtually every life in this country.
So when does it become unacceptable? When do we reach the point when we decide as a society that the price is too high, that the last death was one too many?
And we’re willing to put the same effort into saving the 33,000 that we put into saving the 33.
I’m already there.
I thank God the miners are safe.
And I’ll be just as glad when the rest of us are.

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