America isn’t safe for your children. Not anymore.
We aren’t as bad as most developing countries but, given that we are supposed to be a major world power and the shining example of ideal living in the world, we’re looking bad. People should want to flock to this country.
Other countries should emulate their way of living after us. Instead, other developed countries shake their heads at us as we grapple with excessive gun violence, higher infant mortality rates, and a high rate of motor vehicle deaths among teenagers.
Despite being at the forefront of many advances in modern medicine, the United States has 6.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, the worst of the 27 wealthiest nations in the world. Poorer states such as Alabama have 8.7 infant deaths per 1000 live births putting it only slightly behind Lebanon in infant mortality. Researchers have spent many hours dissecting data to explain this disturbing trend and have found that most infant deaths happen postpartum in disadvantaged households that can’t afford proper infant care. More affordable healthcare is the simplest solution but Congress has failed to pass any fixes or alternatives to Obamacare which is only growing more costly.
Now on to vehicle fatality rates. The United States used to be one of the safer countries for driving. Now, our vehicle fatality rate is about 40 percent higher than the fatality rate of Canada or Australia with about seven deaths per billion miles traveled. Experts attribute these deaths to the fact that American highways have much higher speeds than their European counterparts and less frequent seatbelt use with 1 in 7 Americans still foregoing a seatbelt while driving. Other countries also see buzzed driving as drunk driving and have stricter punishments for driving under the influence.
Finally, shooting deaths in America are almost 49 times higher than in other developed countries. In 2016 alone, 11,000 deaths were attributed to gun violence. From 2012 to 2014, it was estimated that 1,297 children per year lost their lives to a gun. School shootings have also become more prevalent with eight school shootings having already occurred in the first seven weeks of the year (hopefully it is still that number by the time this is published).
The fix to this problem is one that other countries have already figured out: adopt stricter gun laws.
Australia is the prime example of this fix. After a 1996 shooting that left 35 people dead, lawmakers banned automatic firearms, established a national firearms registry, imposed new licensing requirements, and created a 28 day waiting period for firearm purchases. After this new legislation, the number of mass shootings that occurred in an eighteen year period dropped from thirteen to zero.
The Parkland shooting that killed seventeen people might be a turning point in American gun legislation. Many victims who survived the shooting are calling for gun reform and pressuring lawmakers to take action. However, whether or not lawmakers can sidestep the pressure and money from the National Rifle Association remains to be seen. Given past trends, money might win out once again.
Let’s hope they care more about the lives of American children than an NRA check.
