I don’t have an answer regarding how you should value your life, but some things to consider are:
I suspect the gulf between actual-good-drivers and normal drivers in deaths is massive. Most people think they’re better drivers than average, but they do stupid things like speeding and driving aggressively. As a rationalist, I would expect that you can learn to actually be a good driver and your risk will be much lower.
If you’re not driving, what’s your alternative? You mention flying instead, but how do you get to the airport? Given the point above, I suspect it’s much safer for you to drive yourself than to be in a car driven by the average taxi/Uber driver. My experience is that taxi drivers drive even more dangerously than the average person.
Having a car and living close enough to things that you don’t needing aren’t mutually exclusive. I live close enough to stores and gyms that I can walk to them (and work remotely), but I also have a car and use it a few times per week (going to Costco, hanging out with friends).
Assuming it makes sense for you financially, my recommendation would be to learn how to drive (safely), but continue to optimize your location so you don’t have to use it constantly.
I suspect the gulf between actual-good-drivers and normal drivers in deaths is massive
This is one of the factors that I see as a potential crux. I see it as plausible that this would flip me from “not worth it” to “worth it”. The logic I used in the post about the ratio of non-alcohol to alcohol related fatalities is my current best guess, and it does seem sorta intuitive that there’s only so much you could do to protect yourself against others on the road, but I’d like to be proven wrong.
If you’re not driving, what’s your alternative?
I envision living in a walkable city like New York or Boston. I agree that even in those situations there’d still be times you need a car, though such as going to the airport.
Having a car and living close enough to things that you don’t needing aren’t mutually exclusive.
Yeah. I agree that “Is driving worth it?” could be broken down into questions like “Is it worth it for X?”. Choosing a place to live where you could walk to eg. coffee shops and restaurants is easier than choosing a place where everything you need is walking distance. But in practice, if my valuations on life are in the right ballpark, I think the answer doesn’t end up depending on X too much. So I see the crux as how much to value life + if I’m off by orders of magnitude on things like driving safety.
I don’t have an answer regarding how you should value your life, but some things to consider are:
I suspect the gulf between actual-good-drivers and normal drivers in deaths is massive. Most people think they’re better drivers than average, but they do stupid things like speeding and driving aggressively. As a rationalist, I would expect that you can learn to actually be a good driver and your risk will be much lower.
If you’re not driving, what’s your alternative? You mention flying instead, but how do you get to the airport? Given the point above, I suspect it’s much safer for you to drive yourself than to be in a car driven by the average taxi/Uber driver. My experience is that taxi drivers drive even more dangerously than the average person.
Having a car and living close enough to things that you don’t needing aren’t mutually exclusive. I live close enough to stores and gyms that I can walk to them (and work remotely), but I also have a car and use it a few times per week (going to Costco, hanging out with friends).
Assuming it makes sense for you financially, my recommendation would be to learn how to drive (safely), but continue to optimize your location so you don’t have to use it constantly.
This is one of the factors that I see as a potential crux. I see it as plausible that this would flip me from “not worth it” to “worth it”. The logic I used in the post about the ratio of non-alcohol to alcohol related fatalities is my current best guess, and it does seem sorta intuitive that there’s only so much you could do to protect yourself against others on the road, but I’d like to be proven wrong.
I envision living in a walkable city like New York or Boston. I agree that even in those situations there’d still be times you need a car, though such as going to the airport.
Yeah. I agree that “Is driving worth it?” could be broken down into questions like “Is it worth it for X?”. Choosing a place to live where you could walk to eg. coffee shops and restaurants is easier than choosing a place where everything you need is walking distance. But in practice, if my valuations on life are in the right ballpark, I think the answer doesn’t end up depending on X too much. So I see the crux as how much to value life + if I’m off by orders of magnitude on things like driving safety.