Is the chance of dying from a car accident less than dying from an astronomical event? On page 62 of David Deutsch's excellent _The Beginning of Infinity_ he writes: > a typical child born in the United States today is more likely to die as a result of an astronomical event than a car accident According to the National Safety Council the lifetime probability of dying in a motor vehicle accident is huge: over 1%, and by far the largest of the non-intentional non health related causes. Is the lifetime chance of dying from an astronomical event greater than that?

Here's what the book's website says:

> Correction: That should read "an aeroplane accident". A true comparison with airplane accidents appears on p207, using slightly different statistics.
>
> Note: The probability of dying in a car accident is at least 12 times and perhaps as much as 100 times as great as that of dying from an astronomical event. As road safety improves, this will presumably continue to fall rapidly during the lifetimes of children born today \-- but then, so will the probability of dying from an astronomical event.

So it is, in fact, an error.