Cars as a Longevity Issue
The burgeoning longevity movement focuses heavily on aging, as they should. But we must look at other ways we cut our lives short.
In longevity spaces, the discussion is almost always centered around aging and advanced regenerative medicine. This certainly is not surprising — most of us in developed societies will die from causes largely related to our bodies breaking down over time, and we largely want to think we have a lot of time left, not that we could potentially be hit by a bus tomorrow. Aging is what creates the ceiling for lifespans, so only by defeating it will people attain ages previously thought impossible. But there is more than just aging to lifespan — and the other parts should not be wholly ignored.
An estimated 1.1 to 1.4 million people die every single year due to car collisions and are the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 29. Tailpipe emissions contain particulate matter that raises the risk of cardiopulmonary issues, thus also invariably robbing some people of their shot at Longevity Escape Velocity medically.
To expect people to give up the freedom of transportation afforded by modernity is unrealistic, of course, but it is undeniable there is a lot of death associated with our addiction to cars. There are, however, ways to mitigate these effects, such as self-driving electric cars and better mass transit.
The rushed, overhyped release of Tesla’s self-driving features have made many come other view the technology as dangerous — yet humans are incredibly dangerous operators of vehicles ourselves. To make progress from this angle, all we need is for autonomous driving to be safer than humans, and well-developed piece of software with the right sensors will simply be able to attain a level of reaction time and precision that humans will never be able to match.
Waymo has gained a lot of traction recently with far fewer incidents than Tesla, with viral ones on social media ones more of annoyance than danger, such as Waymo’s gridlocking themselves into a parking lot. It’s increasingly possible to imagine a world where a license to be a manual driver of a car is difficult to obtain, and the idea of trusting a teenager who is not even out of high school with a multi-ton vehicle will have looked absurd in hindsight.
Thankfully, in addition to the progress on self-driving technology, the internal combustion engine as the mainstay for personal automobiles seems to be on its last legs, with more and more traditional manufacturers beginning to shift their focus to EVs. Though the production of cars and the supply chain for the materials certainly still creates a lot of pollution, this removes a major source of smog from cities. Inexpensive solar is also accelerating the transition away from polluting fossil fuel plants, which still power many places people charge their cars.
However, it is critical that we reduce our dependence on cars in general. Though I am no hardcore car abolitionist, much of the world — and in particular the United States — designs cities with a car-first mentality, making offerings like subway or light rail an afterthought. While trains are certainly not entirely without accidents either, you are 94% less likely to die per mile traveled on a train compared to a car. There are rarely perfect solutions in this chaotic world of ours, but that’s a profound reduction in risk.
There are, of course, other areas that deserve attention if we wish to increase the average lifespan — even if they will not increase the maximum lifespan — such as mental health and addiction and gun violence. Even if the focus is on regenerative medicine and aging, we should have an expansive idea of what a “longevity issue” is. In general, the more we can do to prevent deaths without significantly affecting people’s freedom and quality of life in the process, the better.
For the first time in human history, a literal, scientific “fountain of youth” seems within reach, and it will be one of the greatest things humanity has ever accomplished. However, to ensure as many people are able to enjoy it as long as possible, we cannot let ourselves develop tunnel vision about the sources of death around us.