Sugar: The Indirect Cause of Many North Carolina Auto Accidents?
Policy analysts who study North Carolina car accidents often focus on proximal causes of these disasters (the near ones, which we can see) instead of the distal ones (the far away, more indirect ones). And this could lead to surprising problems. If the root of the problem is proximal, we can solve it. For instance, if you scald your hand with an iron, you can safely assume that the red hot iron caused your burn. If you simply remove the iron, you will stop burning yourself. Then your solution (targeting the proximal cause) should get you results.
But if the root cause of a problem is distal – far away from what you think is the problem and only indirectly connected to it – your policy solutions may deliver lackluster results or even backfire. For instance, take the case of so-called carpal tunnel syndrome. Many patients who suffer this repetitive stress disorder focus on the proximal sources of pain – the hands and wrists – and go through great lengths to treat them using cortisone injections, heating pads for hands, and braces for the hands and wrist. But new science suggests that distal factors – such as myofascial anox and other musculoskeletal dysfunctions in the chest and back – might also be factors. If you don’t address those distal factors, you are not going to solve the problem.
Likewise, there might be a similar kind of proximal/distal confusion in addressing the problem of drowsy driving. According to the NHTSA’s official website, 1996 data indicate that “In recent years there have been about 56,000 crashes annually in which driver drowsiness/fatigue was cited by police. Annual averages of roughly 40,000 non-fatal injuries and 1,550 fatalities resulted from these crashes.”
Obviously, there is an enormous number of reasons why someone might drive drowsy. But compelling new research suggests that North Carolinians’ (and Americans’ in general) over-consumptions of sugar depletes the body’s energy levels. In other words, eating too much sugar can make you tired. And data suggest that Americans and North Carolinians are consuming far more sugar today than we did several decades ago. So this might be one of many distal factors causing needless North Carolina injury crashes. Of course, if you have been a recent victim (or a friend or a family of a victim), you want more straightforward help and analysis. Connect with a trusted, helpful, highly credentialed North Carolina car accident law firm to get the insight you need to make progress.
More Web Resources:
Sugar: the Bitter Truth
Drowsy Driving Stats
