Problem Solving

[Guest]

A police department made a check of the clothing worn by pedestrians killed in traffic at night. About 4/5 of the victims were wearing dark clothes, and 1/5 were wearing light-color garments. Explain why this study does not necessarily show that pedestrians are less likely to encounter traffic mishaps at night if they wear something white.

 

[stapel]

One problem, I think, is that they looked at "deaths". This isn't necessarily a valid proxy for "mishaps", which could, I suspect, include other things.

Of greater importance, though, is the lack of a "control". What was the proportion of pedestrians overall who wore light versus dark clothing? What would it imply if, say, 9/10 of all pedestrians were wearing dark clothes?

Eliz.