The Unexpected Dangers Of Living In The Windy City
Living in any big city can be dangerous. As soon as you’re around more people, you’re at a greater risk for misfortune–and if you’re moving to a place like Chicago where the population is over 2.6 million people, that risk is pretty high. Chicago has a long history of crime, which has earned it the reputation of being one of the more dangerous big cities in the United States. In reality, Chicago’s crime rate only puts it at number nine on the list of the country’s most dangerous cities, which still isn’t great, but it’s better than being number one. In addition to being exposed to more crime, living in a big city like Chicago also puts you at a greater risk of being exposed to diseases. We saw proof of this during the pandemic when covid-19 spread rapidly throughout densely populated cities. The spread was nearly impossible to contain due to the sheer number of people who lived in these cities, all struggling to keep their distance from others while out and about, running errands, and completing tasks they had to do to survive–like getting groceries or going to work if they were considered essential. The thing is, there are plenty of other dangers lurking within the Windy City besides crime and disease.
The Danger Of Public Transportation
Chicago is a hub for public transportation, with features like O’Hare International Airport and Union Station. The city also provides options for public transportation through its metro system and bus routes. Of course, when you utilize these options of transportation, you’re putting your hands into the lives of others. You might think that accidents involving public transportation are a rare phenomenon since the drivers have to meet certain licensure requirements. The reality is, on average, there are more than 1,000 train derailments each year in the United States—rounding out to about three a day. More shockingly, there are over 60,000 bus crashes every year, sometimes resulting in passenger injuries and fatalities. No one is perfect. No matter how many tests these drivers had to pass before getting behind the wheel, they are still driving in an incredibly fast-paced environment through a city with nearly 2.7 million people. The bigger a city’s population, the worse the traffic will be and the higher your risk of being involved in an accident. Of course, even if you decide to knit public transportation and just walk everywhere to try to play it safe, your safety isn’t guaranteed as a pedestrian. It’s said that, on average, there are more than 7,000 pedestrians killed by motor vehicles each year in the United States. So, there’s really no way to reduce your risk without moving to somewhere less busy.
Air Quality
It’s easiest to identify and monitor the dangers around you that you can see, but what about the ones that are less obvious? Sure, it might make sense that the quality of the air around you is something that could be considered dangerous.
In bigger cities with more people burning gasoline, the air quality is bound to suffer. Breathing in toxins that linger in the air has the potential to affect your long-term health and put you at a greater risk for developing heart and respiratory diseases, as well as certain cancers. If you own an iPhone, you can check the predicted air quality of your city in your weather app. That way, when you’re checking the weather to plan your outfit for the day, you can decide if it’s really necessary to leave the house or not. Limiting your time outside when the air quality is poor limits your exposure and risk.
It’s especially important for children and teens, older adults, and people with preexisting heart and lung conditions to take extra precautions to limit their exposure since they are more likely to suffer the negative effects of air pollution than healthy adults. If you absolutely have to leave the house, then you should wear an N95 mask, since fine particles still have the potential to be able to slip through cloth masks. On the other hand, seeing the air quality of the outside city might make you question the air quality of your own home. If this is a concern of yours, there are devices you can purchase and install easily to monitor the quality of your home’s air. If you find that your home does have poor air quality, then you can purchase an air purifier to draw any harmful particles out of the air, just make sure that you buy one big enough to cleanse your space properly, and be sure to regularly change any filters so that it can work to its best ability.
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