"COVID Vaccine Hesitancy and Risk of a Traffic Crash", The American Journal of Medicine (02 December 2022)

Believe it or not, yes, this paper does actually claim that "COVID vaccine hesitancy is a reflection of psychology that might also contribute to traffic safety", which is an odd way of putting it given that they claim a negative contribution. Their conclusion is clearer: "These data suggest that COVID vaccine hesitancy is associated with significant increased risks of a traffic crash." No, this is not a Monty Python sketch; it's a real claim.

What's particularly interesting is that they then go on to say: "An awareness of these risks might help to encourage more COVID vaccination."

Why is that?

Why would my becoming aware that I have a (supposed) increased risk of being involved in a car accident, due to my not being covid-19 injected, make me more likely to go out and get a "jab"? Would that "awareness" change my psychology? How many people—who have the kind of "psychology" that apparently goes with conditions such as "alcohol misuse, sleep apnea, diabetes, depression", etc.—would be the kind of people who, upon finding out about this supposed link with traffic accidents, would then say to themselves: "Oh, well then, I'd better go out and get "jabbed" so I'm less likely to have a car accident"? (Which, of course, wouldn't make any sense, even if it were true.)

No, what this odd sentence—("An awareness of these risks might help to encourage more COVID vaccination.")—means (to me) is revealed by two things.

1) Their call in the paper for "more research" on other potentially contributing factors to "hesitancy", such as "distrust of government", "a belief in freedom", "faith in natural protection", "antipathy toward regulation", "exposure to misinformation", "other personal beliefs", or "social networks that lead to misgivings around public health guidelines." And...

2) Their suggestion that the "observed risks might also justify changes to driver insurance policies in the future."

Ah, so is that it? Is this a "nudge" in the making? Get insurance companies to become "aware" that they should charge higher premiums for the "vaccine hesitant". That might well help to push some financially struggling people into taking the "jab" against their will.

Whatever the authors' intentions, this is yet another warning that the threat of a Western social credit system is very real. Let's continue to stand against all moves in that direction.

• On the paper's scientific claims, I came across this short but effective commentary by Professor Norman Fenton, basically blowing it apart:
  • "A Study in Stupidity: does the covid vaccine really lower your risk of being in a car accident? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iryCrHaozU)cident? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iryCrHaozU)