A lot of people think that vending machines are God’s gift to the world; they are easy and convenient in a tight spot. But these fantastic food – giving machines can actually be a menace, as 13 people on average are killed by vending machines per year (freakonomics.com, democraticunderground.com, brainofbrain.com).
How? Well, there really is only one answer: they topple over on top of an impatient person trying to shake food out.
What makes this even more interesting is the fact that this statistic makes vending machines, in theory, more dangerous than sharks (David Emery, lifeguard).
I know, it sounds pretty crazy. When we think about vending machines, the great givers of food, compared to sharks with empty stomachs and mouths full of teeth that can cut through flesh without a problem, it seems like no contest. Sharks are way scarier than vending machines.
According to freakonomics.com, a citizen in the United States’ odds of being killed by a shark are 1 in 250 million, while the risk of being killed by a vending machine is only 1 in 112 million. So while it’s still not probable that you will meet your maker through a vending machine, it is still more possible than being killed by fiendish fish.