Dangerous Country Outside Those City Limits

The city slicker becomes the country bumpkin in the 1965 TV hit Green Acres. The theme song says it all! “Green acres is the place for me. Farm livin' is the life for me. Land spreadin' out so far and wide. Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.” Of course fledgling farmer Eddie Albert’s wife played by the delightful Eva Gabor wasn’t exactly on board with the transition. “ New York is where I'd rather stay. I get allergic smelling hay. I just adore a penthouse view. Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue.” The conflict was set the program had a successful run until 1971.

On the show Eddie Albert’s character Oliver drags his wife Lisa (Gabor) to the country for what he hope will be a simpler, safe life. Turns out maybe Eva Gabor was right about staying in the city!

A new study finds city living is actually safer than country living. U.S. researchers say they've found that death by injury in rural areas is 22-percent higher than in urban regions. It seems dangerous equipment is more of a threat than dangerous bad guys. Researchers say that while the risk of murder is higher in cities, even it is offset by the much higher risk of death in the countryside.

Long lonely country roads contribute to a double rate of car crashes in the country than there are in the city, and that gun-related deaths were greater in the country for children and those over age 45.

One researcher says, "Cars, guns and drugs are the unholy trinity causing the majority of injury deaths in the U.S. And overall, the rate of unintentional injury dwarfs the risk of homicide, with the rate of unintentional injury more than 15-times that of homicide among the entire population."

Along with all that fresh air and open space comes farm animals, farm machinery, trees, hunting accidents and more! (Daily Mail)