The number 13, and especially Friday the 13th (Friday the 13th), is considered an unlucky day in western superstitions. Theories as to why he’s called it that way range from the biblical presence of 13 at the last supper, to Loki being the 13th secret guest at a dinner party for the Norse gods, often before causing all sorts of chaos.
While it is very easy to reject such claims, the important question that arises is whether there is any truth or statistics to support the idea that the number 13 and Friday the 13th are unlucky.
What does the Friday the 13th data say?
To date, several attempts have been made to investigate this. Wanting to see how superstitious people are and whether this affects their behavior, a team studied traffic flow and accident data. The idea is not to understand whether the 13th and Friday the 13th are truly unlucky, but rather “by examining behavior – such as whether people are less likely to drive and shop on Friday the 13th – to make plausible inferences about how people are influenced by superstitions.” was able to.”
The study, published in the BMJ in 1993, said it found some tentative indications that people were able to change their behavior on Friday, the 13th of any month.
“On the 13th, it seems like fewer people are driving on the highways on Friday,” the team said. About 1.4% of the population can be affected by this condition. For example, analysis of data comparing Friday the 5th with Friday the 12th differs from Friday the 13th,” he says.
According to the research, although there are fewer cars on the road, hospital admissions are increasing as a result of accidents on Friday the 13th. Although the researchers note that the number of accidents studied was too small to allow for meaningful analysis, they suggest that a larger study would be needed to support or refute, “the risk of a transportation accident on Friday the 13th could increase by 52%.”
Friday the 13th is also the subject of movies and games.The study authors attribute this to the fact that people can change their behavior through superstitions. So they suggest that superstition may lead to more insecure behavior, but they also state that there is no clear evidence of this.
While this is an interesting thought, most other studies examining emergency room admissions say no increase in day-to-day increases.
A large study of U.S. emergency departments concluded that “while there is fear of Friday the 13th, there is no concern that there will be an increase in volume on Friday the 13th compared to research for other days.” “Of the 13 different conditions evaluated, only penetrating traumas were more common on Friday the 13th,” the statement continues.
A study by the Dutch Center for Insurance Statistics says roads are slightly safer on Friday the 13th. “I find it hard to believe it’s because people are more preventatively careful or just stay home; “But statistically speaking, it’s a little safer to drive on Friday the 13th.”
In short, there is no real, conclusive evidence of an increase in crashes on Friday the 13th, and even a few studies suggest the opposite. However, as a result of all studies, it is emphasized that the data may have emerged due to behavioral changes stemming from superstitions.
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