Florida is the shark-attack capital of the world. Here's what's more likely to kill you
Heart disease, cancer, stroke — these are all serious causes of death that claim millions of lives every year. Yet when it comes to common fears, phobias — extreme and typically irrational fears — are often at the top of the list. Galeophobia, the fear of sharks, is one whose prevalence wafts through more than half of Americans despite their rarity.
Shark attacks are in fact so rare that there is a mountain of other rather mundane ways someone can find themselves in a life-or-death situation before a shark ever has a chance to get a tasty glimpse at them.
Car accidents, for instance, result in an annual 44,757 deaths, yet most people don’t think twice about hopping into their car for a five-minute drive to McDonald’s despite having a pantry full of food.
Dog bite fatalities are actually more likely to result in death than a shark bite, according to the National Canine Research Foundation and National Canine Research Council. People are much more likely to be struck by lightning than be killed by a shark, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
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But what about everyday occurrences? Riding a bike can be a recipe for death. Sleeping in a bed? Death. Stung by a wasp? Death. Working on a home improvement project? Death. Fireworks on July 4? Believe it or not, death.
Here’s a list of things more likely to kill you — or even cause injury — than sharks.
Lightning
The Florida Museum of Natural History tabulated data relating to lightning fatalities, injuries and damage from 1959 to 1994, using information provided by NOAA, and compared it to data from the International Shark Attack File from February 2011.
The museum found that the number of lightning fatalities was not only double the number of shark bites, getting killed by lightning is over 75 times more likely than being killed by a shark.
Riding a bike
Bike accidents have a 1 in 4,919 chance of happening, and there are 762 reported deaths each year, according to the National Safety Council.
Annual shark-related deaths happen an average of once per year, according to the Florida Museum, and have a 1 in 4,332,817 chance of happening.
Setting off fireworks
Fireworks have an average of 11 fatalities per year, with a 1 in 340,733 chance of happening during someone’s lifetime.
Having the flu
The flu is a silent killer, with just under 60,000 fatalities happening each year, hence the annual push for vaccinations. There is a 1 in 63 chance of death occurring during someone’s lifetime.
Sun and heat exposure
Risk to sun and heat exposure is a serious concern in Florida, especially as the state is set to experience a heat wave with temps rising above 100 degrees this week.
Sun and heat exposure causes an average of 273 deaths annually and has a 1 in 13,729 chance to cause death in someone’s lifetime.
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Alligators
If stepping outside in Florida doesn’t already seem dangerous enough, Florida’s land critters solidify (most) sharks’ more tempered nature. When it comes to alligators, another one of Florida’s more infamous animals, there is a bit of a mixed story.
The Florida Museum indicates that shark bites (509) are more prevalent than alligator bites (442), but alligator attacks are significantly more deadly. Twenty-six alligator bites have resulted in deaths in the state while Florida has had just nine shark-related fatalities.
Bears
A bear recently made headlines across the country after Florida beachgoers in Destin captured video footage of a black bear swimming through the Gulf of Mexico before fleeing the crowded shoreline.
Bears aren’t very common in Florida, with black bears being the only species native to the state. The Florida Museum compared the number of bear-related fatalities among brown, black and polar bears to the number of shark-related fatalities from 1900 to present in the U.S. and Canada. The number of bear-related fatalities outpaced shark fatalities by over 4.5 times.
Dogs
Even man’s best friend can be more deadly than a shark encounter. Data comparing dog attack fatalities in the U.S. between 2001 and 2010, pulled by the Florida Museum, shows that dog bites are over five times more likely to be fatal than shark bites.
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Riding in a boat
Riding in a boat in Florida is roughly 391 times more likely to result in a death than a shark attack, according to more data from the Florida Museum.
Boating data between 2002 and 2013 shows that 8,979 boating accidents occurred in Florida, 782 of which ended in fatalities. In the same period, there were 261 shark bites in the state, resulting in two deaths.
What are the leading causes of death in Florida?
The National Safety Council reports on the leading causes of death across the U.S. and breaks its reports down by state. Here’s what the leading causes of death are in the state of Florida, and how they compare to the national list.
Heart Disease
COVID-19
Preventable/accidental injury
Stroke
Chronic low respiratory disease
Diabetes mellitus
Alzheimer’s disease
Liver disease
Influenza and pneumonia
Preventable injury-related deaths across the state included poisoning, motor-vehicle crashes, falls and choking.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Scared of shark attacks? Here's a list of things more likely to happen
