Is there really a threat on your child that a stranger lurks in your neighborhood? Just waiting to kidnap them? Is light rail or other public forms of transportation going to bring an added threat to our children if and when it comes into our community?
Recent studies show that you should be more afraid of family members and/or children’s friends then actual strangers.
It’s safer for your child to use public transportation by themselves, than your child is going to Church.
Here are the results of an in-depth study out of Georgetown University from 2008.
1 and 1.5 million chance your child will be kidnap this year but there is a 1 and 3000 change that something will kill your school age child this coming year.
Here’s the probability break down on what could kill your child:
A traffic accident is 1 in 8000
Homicide, away from school 1 in 21,000
Suicide, away from school 1 in 28,000
Cancers 1 in 33,000
Accidental drowning 1 n 73,000
Heart Disease 1 in 79,000
A firearm accident 1 in 200,000
Pneumonia or influenza 1 in 250,000
Bronchitis, emphysema or asthma 1 in 260,000
Cerebral-vascular Disease 1 in 390,000
Accidental fall 1 in 390,000
HIV 1 in 420,000
An act of nature including lighting 1 in 780,000
Diabetes 1 in 850,000
Meningitis 1 in 1,300,000
Any adverse effect of medical care 1 in 1,300,000
Abducted and murdered by a stranger 1 in 1,500,000
Homicide at school 1 in 1,700,000
This is the most interesting results:
In the entire US in 2007, 115 kids were abducted by strangers
In the same year there were 635 credible episodes of abuse by Catholic priests and deacons.
Other denominations recorded abuses almost as high as the 115 stranger abductions.
It’s clear that the park or subway (or light rail) is much safer for your child then the church.
