Scoop

As our economy crumbles around us, here's some more news to give you the jitters for the upcoming Election Day. A study, published by Reuters predicts that there will jump in fatalities caused by car accidents on that day.

Oh yippee! Something else to look forward to. I'm sorry, but who is manning the news bureau desks these days? Having spent almost two decades in a daily newspaper newsroom, I don't mean to make light of this dour prediction, but really, who comes up with these story ideas? Hmm ... can't you just see bureau chiefs across the globe pondering: "Wall Street isn't bad enough, the government refusing to do anything to help and the abysmal mess we face on all fronts isn't bad enough. Can anyone find a study on how many people die on Election Day?"

According to the survey every four years on U.S. presidential Election Day, it turns out more people die in traffic accidents compared to one week before and one week after. The reason for the jump is distracted drivers in a hurry to get to the polls. And evidently this distraction is even worse than Super Bowl Sunday.

Well, crummy news huh? But, always looking for the bright light, I offer this piece of uplifting thought: Soaring gas prices could have a silver lining, at least on Election Day.