There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster—Who Profits and Who Pays the Price

Journalist Singer’s work analyzes the increasing incidence of “accidental” deaths and injuries in the United States, as exemplified by the 2006 death of her best friend, who was killed on his bike by a drunk driver. Using current research in human psychology, design and engineering, and accident investigation, Singer argues that “accidents” are created by underlying systemic dangerous conditions (from racism to bad design) that are usually ignored in order to save money or for other reasons (some negligent, some nefarious). Among the subjects she considers are workplace injuries, intentional and unintentional gun violence, and the opioid epidemic and unintentional overdoses. Singer argues for reassessing injuries and death that have been labeled “accidental,” in order to broaden our view of these incidents and look at their causes. It is only by reexamination, she reasons, that preventative mindsets will prevail and lasting safety changes will be made.