Reply #33: You ignored the established rarity of the murder-suicide by numbers issue. [View All]

I withdrew the comparison because it is invalid on a number of variables, however, since you sarcastically press the point:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2248/is_n118_v30/ai_17150135/


Schmidt, Perlin, Towns, Fisher, & Shaffer 1972). But such characteristics should not be used to mask the fact that death by automobile offers a unique opportunity for concealment of suicide intent (MacDonald 1965). For example, the results of a study of fatally injured (N = 182) and nonfatally injured (N = 96) drivers involved in vehicular crashes conducted in Baltimore (Schmidt, Shaffer, Zlotowitz, & Fisher 1977) led the investigators to conclude that 1.7% (n = 3) of all fatal crashes were suicides, 2.7% of fatal single-car crashes were so identified, and 1% of the nonfatal crashes were thought to be suicide attempts. Vehicular fatalities that are suicides vary from 1.6% to 5% (Schmidt et al., 1977). These figures lead to considerable speculation that a significant albeit unknown proportion of vehicular deaths classified as accidents are in fact suicides. As Schmidt et al. (1977, p. 175) argue, the single-car, single-occupant fatal crash is especially suspect.

So, that's a strong contention that 1188 fatal crashes for the year in question were actually suicides. THAT is right in line with the murder-suicide number from VPC, however, it does not delve into the murder-component, only suicide. And unfortunately, the VPC numbers do not differentiate the suicides from the murders. They lump them into a total, which, interestingly is right in line with at least single-occupant single-vehicle crashs.

Here's where the data gets problematic quick:

In the first example of an "accident" that may have been intentional, a 38-year-old, married male died of multiple blunt trauma injuries incurred as a result of a two-vehicle crash. The decedent was the only occupant of a vehicle observed to be speeding along a major city thoroughfare when his automobile struck the rear end of a truck. No skid marks were found, indicating that the decedent drove into the truck without any attempt to brake the vehicle.

Should we rule that an attempted murder-suicide? The person who committed the act would be ruled one of the people under the murder-suicide total for VPC, in this scenario: shot someone, shot self, self died, other victim survived the injuries. Here we have an individual who intentionally rammed an occupied vehicle. Same effect yes?


The study I cited does not delve into the murder component of suicide. I think someone ought to undertake such a study. The results might surprise everyone.