Sure, but did they factor in the number of people who are literally killing themselves with the resulting price inflation of goods? Bet not.

Anyway, the rising fuel prices are now so high that people who hop on for joy rides are not just reconsidering, they are cancelling such trips. They are also planning trips more carefully so as to avoid wasting any more fuel than necessary. This also means that since fewer people are on the roads, there are fewer chances of them getting killed.

Professors Michael Morrisey of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and David Grabowski of Harvard Medical School said they found that for every 10 percent increase in gas prices there was a 2.3 percent decline in auto deaths. For drivers ages 15 to 17, the decline was 6 percent, and for ages 18 to 21, it was 3.2 percent.

Their study looked at fatalities from 1985 to 2006, when gas prices reached about $2.50 a gallon. With gas now averaging more than $4 a gallon, Morrisey said he expects to see much greater drop ?about 1,000 deaths a month

Thats the first and I guess last time that anyone is going to be happy about the high oil prices, if at all.

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