Vending Machine More Hazardous Than Sharks

Question

This claim has been proven to be true. This website starts off with the quote, "the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is the unknown" by H.P. Lovecraft. Diving into the meaning of this, sharks are not as dangerous as people may think, we are just scared of the unknown. According to the website, the number of fatalities from sharks worldwide is between 4-6 a year, not what you would expect. This correlates to a 1 in 250 million chance of dying from a shark. On the other hand, with evidence, the chances of getting killed from a vending machine is 1 in 112 million. Many other sources including World Wildlife Fund, Georgia Aquarium and the National Science Foundation, also state the truth about sharks and how they are stereotyped. Even though the article doesn't go into much detail about the vending machine situation other than the proven statistic, it also shows a chart of how many different insignificant things are more likely to kill you than a shark attack. these include fireworks, drowning, and excessive cold. Overall, this statement is true and can be proven correct by many primary and secondary sources.

Answer 1

1. Summary of Findings:

This claim is TRUE. Vending machines are indeed statistically more hazardous than sharks to humans.

2. Primary Sources Found:

- Heal the Bay website (healthebay.org): This marine conservation organization documents that shark attack fatalities are between 4-6 per year worldwide, translating to approximately 1 in 250 million chance of dying from a shark attack. In contrast, vending machine-related deaths occur at a rate of 1 in 112 million, making them significantly more dangerous.

- World Wildlife Fund and National Science Foundation also support these statistics about shark safety and how sharks are misrepresented due to media sensationalism and cultural fears.

- The comparison references H.P. Lovecraft's observation about fear of the unknown being humanity's strongest emotion, which explains why sharks seem more dangerous despite the statistics.

This claim holds up to scrutiny when examining the actual statistical evidence versus public perception.

Answer 2

After reading this post and reviewing sources to determine whether vending machines are more dangerous than sharks, I can conclude that this claim is true in a specific statistical sense. This is supported by reporting from Heal the Bay and Slate. Heal the Bay explains that in the United States, more people are killed each year by falling vending machines than by shark attacks, a comparison based on historical data showing relatively few shark attack fatalities versus several vending machine-related deaths. Slates reporting provides further context, noting that while shark attacks get widespread attention, they are rare, and that vending machines are often top-heavy and improperly handled, have caused more deaths due to tipping incidents. Together, statistical reporting and analysis of risk factors provide clear evidence that, based on documented fatality counts, vending machines have been more hazardous than sharks in the U.S. 

Answer 3

Looking at this post and the reviewing the facts its given shows that this claim is true. Most people seem to think shark attacks are a lot more common then they actually because sharks tend to me more scary. And a vending machine is a non living thing that just stands still. So why would a vending machine be more dangerous than a shark. Well reviewing different sources, it says that what makes vending machines dangerous is when they malfunction and don't give out the item a consumer was wanting and so the consumer would get frustrated shaking the machine to the point where it falls on them and kills them. And surprisingly this happens a lot more than a shark killing someone.

Answer 4

While yes it is much more rare for the average person to die by shark than vending machine it is important to think about how often people interact with a shark and a vending machine. Based on pure statistics sharks are indeed much less deadly than vending machines however if we were to account for the number of interactions with each I have a feeling that the answer may change or at least become more similar. Another variable to take into consideration is the fact that many third world coastal nations may not have a method of reporting these incidents and therefore the information can be skewed more. This problem wouldn't be a problem for counting vending machine accidents as they are placed in populous areas and a body wouldn't be lost like a shark attack.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_attack

Answer 5

After researching the claim, it is true, however there are some interesting topics to consider. I looked at the website https://healthebay.org/vending-machines-more-hazardous-than-sharks/ and according to statistics, people have a 1 in 250 million chance of being killed by a shark and a 1 in 112 million chance of being killed in a vending machine accident. After some further research however, the last time research has been done on vending machine accidents was taken between 1978 and 1995 according to data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). It is also important to consider that people interact with vending machines much more than they do with sharks, so even though the statistics favor sharks, they are not necessarily safer based on every encounter.

Answer 6

While investigating the claim that vending machines are more hazardous than sharks, I found the information to be accurate coming from a reliable source, Heal the Bay. I also found more information from Alex City Chiropractic in 2019 to promote their clinic yet relating it to how dangerous lifting can be and how vending machines are a larger cause of death than sharks.

For my primary source I reviewed the article Vending Machines More Hazardous Than Sharks, written in 2013 by Heal the Bay staff. I found this source as to be true by sifting through multiple news sources relating to causes of death and found that death by shark attack is less likely to happen than dying by a vending machine, normally falling on top of you. I found that Heal the Bay got their information from the National Safety Council. After researching the NSC I found them to be America's leading nonprofit safety advocate and focus on eliminating accidental deaths and injuries. To retrieve this data they work on finding large causes of death and provide safety courses to prevent them. On their website you can find more leading causes of death, rather than just sharks and vending machines. Their focus heavily relies on workplace safety and multiple companies do work with them to ensure worker safety whether in construction, volunteering or just basic safety.

Potential biases can include prioritization of workplace safety. Most of the workplaces may have vending machines and very little actually deal with sharks or the ocean. So they might want to say that vending machines are more dangerous so they can get your business.

When tracking the original source I found out that they have options to get involved but don't have any affiliations. Their interests seem to be workplace safety and training courses along with hosting public events. They do allow for donations and have membership opportunities through their programs. I believe that is for workplaces who want to have these seminars multiple times a month.

For Heal the Bay, their aim in bringing up these facts I believe was to ensure safety in water and reduce the stigma around dangerous animals like sharks. Ensuring that we still keep our areas clean and safe for the safety and health of the organisms and animals living in the ocean. Both sources are nonprofit organizations seeming to do good in their respective communities.

Answer 7

The claim that sharks are less dangerous than people commonly believe is generally true. Public fear of sharks is often shaped by movies and media coverage rather than actual risk. The post correctly points out that shark fatalities are rare and that people are more likely to die from everyday accidents than from shark attacks. This supports the idea that fear of sharks is based more on perception than reality.

According to data from the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History, the average number of unprovoked shark attack deaths worldwide is typically fewer than ten per year. This aligns with the claim that the risk of dying from a shark attack is extremely low. The Florida Museum is one of the most widely cited and credible sources on shark attack data and supports the conclusion that sharks are not a major threat to humans.

While the vending machine comparison is often used to illustrate relative risk, it is mostly meant as a comparison rather than a detailed safety analysis. Even so, the broader message of the post is accurate. Sharks are widely misunderstood and are far less dangerous than commonly believed. Overall, the claim is supported by credible evidence and is not misleading.