Careful: A User's Guide to Our Injury-Prone Minds

by Steve Casner

Overview

“Gripping, page-turning material . . . a new way of thinking about survival in a world filled with hazards and distractions.” —Charles Duhigg, author of Smarter Faster Better and The Power of Habit

A safety expert reveals why few of us are as careful as we think we are, and what we can do about it.

As doctors and medical researchers work busily to extend our lives, more people each year are figuring out ways to cut them short. In fact, after a hundred years of steady decline, the rate at which people are being injured (or worse) in everyday accidents is increasing. Blame car crashes, pedestrian fatalities, home-improvement projects gone wrong, medical mistakes, home fires—not to mention all the crazy things that kids are into these days. And the problem seems to be spinning out of control.

Steve Casner has devoted his career to studying the psychology of safety, and he knows there’s not a safety warning we won’t ignore or a foolproof device we can’t turn into an implement of disaster. Casner details the psychological traps that prevent us from being more careful. They’re the same whether you’re a pilot, a Hollywood stuntwoman, a parent, or the owner of a clogged dishwasher you’re trying to fix with a screwdriver. Then he shows us gripping real examples of how and when injuries happen, so we know exactly what we should really be worrying about.

Careful arms readers with the latest science on how our sometimes fallible minds work, with countless takeaways to incorporate at home, at work, and everywhere in between. This book will help us keep our fingers attached in the kitchen, our kids afloat at the pool, and our teens safe behind the wheel, and demonstrates the many other ways we can maximize our chances of getting through the day in one piece.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399574115
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/23/2017
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	621,693
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Steve Casner is a research psychologist who studies the accident-prone mind. A NASA scientist by day, Casner also flies jets and helicopters, rides motorcycles and skateboards, and has surprisingly few scratches on him. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter.

Table of Contents

1 Words to Live By 1

2 Paying Attention 16

3 Making Errors 34

4 Taking Risks 49

5 Thinking Ahead 69

6 Looking Out for One Another 85

7 Taking and Giving Advice 106

8 Around the House 119

9 Watching Kids 134

10 From Here to There 159

11 At Work 197

12 Fires and Natural Disasters 212

13 At the Doctor 229

14 Getting Older 252

15 Will We Really Be Safer? 269

Acknowledgments 289

Notes 291

Index 313

Editorial Reviews

02/20/2017
“Being careful today seems harder than it used to be,” observes research psychologist Casner in this fascinating debut. The number of fatal injuries has declined significantly over the past century, but since 1992, accidents have actually been on the rise, which Casner attributes to the influx of technological innovations. He proposes a proactive response, stating, “the next safety revolution is going to have to happen in our own minds.” Using real-life examples, research studies, statistics, and his own experiences, he identifies six basic human vulnerabilities that lead to accidents: inattention, making errors (and being unable to admit them), taking risks, not thinking ahead, failing to look out for other people, and being unwilling to receive or dispense advice. Casner stresses that it is up to each individual to consciously try to overcome these failings. He cautions that people are constantly flooded with an enormous amount of information, which can make it even harder to make wise decisions. Riveting and relatable, Casner’s book will inspire readers to take a good look at their own lives and the safety precautions they take on a daily basis. Agent: Sandra Dijkstra, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Careful illuminates the mental strangeness of accidents. They testify to our duality; they happen when we assert and defy ourselves simultaneously.” —NewYorker.com

“Casner makes an overwhelmingly compelling case for safety. One of the most intelligent and impactful books; everyone should read it.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“Riveting and relatable, Casner’s book will inspire readers to take a good look at their own lives and the safety precautions they take on a daily basis.” —Publishers Weekly

“This insightful, easy read is his attempt to show that despite our technology and greater emphasis on safety at work, we face just as many perils to our mortality and good health as our parents and grandparents, who never wore seatbelts and chain-smoked while filling up at the pump.” —New Equipment Digest

“A sharp, concise review of the things that can kill or harm us, how we contribute to the problem, and what we can do together to make us all safer.” —Kirkus

“The book is informative, funny and frightening. After reading, you’ll want to wrap yourself in protective bubble wrap.” —Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“Casner convincingly argues that we all need to make a habit of being more careful. A scientist and a natural storyteller, he takes the studies, data, and safety advice we usually tune out and turns it into gripping, page-turning material. This is a how-to-guide for a new way of thinking about survival in a world filled with hazards and distractions.” —Charles Duhigg, author of Smarter Faster Better and The Power of Habit

“We can all relate to Steve’s blooper reel of everyday ways we hurt ourselves.  Careful provides enough science and data to blow you away but the real-life stories will have you laughing. This helpful and hilarious book just might save your life.” —Deborah Hersman, President of the National Safety Council and former Chairman of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board
 
“Every day, your most dangerous activities take place on our roads. Your life shouldn't be on the line every time you go to work, school, or the store.  With authority, humor, and vivid examples, Steve Casner will help you to be truly careful and safer on every trip, wherever you're going.” —Mark R. Rosekind, Ph.D., 15th Administrator, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration

“‘Be careful!’ we tell our children, friends, co-workers, and even ourselves. Admirable advice, but completely useless. As Steve Casner explains in this readable and authoritative account, the human mind is powerful and creative, but not well equipped for the unnatural requirements of modern living. This book is the solution, providing solid, practical advice based upon decades of scientific studies and years of practical experience.” —Don Norman, professor and director, director, the University of California, San Diego Design Lab; author of The Design of Everyday Things

“Don’t worry, this book won’t make you more afraid of the dangers in our world. Instead it will empower, entertain and inform, encouraging you to get out there and live a safe life.” —BookPage

From the Publisher

★ 04/01/2017
Casner, a research psychologist at NASA with decades of experience in the safety industry, states that the "safety revolution" is long overdue. With startling statistics, such as that there are 350 deaths caused from preventable injuries each day in the United States alone, his work suggests that we may be remiss if we don't start listening. He considers how our ability to pay attention is incredibly inept, that we are bound to make mistakes and take unnecessary risks, asserting that we often overestimate our ability to stay focused and multitask. How often do people text and drive despite knowing the ramifications? Casner informs us of our limitations and vulnerabilities, not as an insult, but rather to make us aware of the situations that can arise. He provides information on how to prevent these mistakes through awareness and by thinking ahead to possible outcomes. With humor and eye-opening data we may all hopefully become more engaged in our day-to-day lives and keep ourselves and one another safe. VERDICT Casner makes an overwhelmingly compelling case for safety. One of the most intelligent and impactful books; everyone should read it.—Melissa Keegan, Ela Area P.L., Lake Zurich, IL

Library Journal

2017-03-14
A safety expert offers a concise, common-sense guide to not being killed by stupidity.In his debut, Casner—a research scientist in NASA's Human Systems Integration Division, which helps maintain strict safety standards for astronauts and others involved in the aerospace field—offers a sharp, concise review of the things that can kill or harm us, how we contribute to the problem, and what we can do together to make us all safer. With specific categories like transportation, watching children, interacting with doctors, and taking and giving advice, the author addresses universal, daily situations in which people are exposed to potential harm. One might think it's another Silicon Valley cheer for technology, but not only does Casner think we're less safe today, he believes the helpfulness of our available tools has reached its peak ability to save us from ourselves. "In this book I will argue that we have come to the end of a really good run," he writes. "That we have wrung all of the big gains we're going to get from putting rubber corners on stuff and saying, ‘Hey, don't do that.' Companies aren't going to rescue us from this quandary with new safety features." Instead, the author argues for a fundamental change in the perception of risk and our related behaviors. The risks he identifies in our injury-prone minds are delightfully simple, and he stresses the importance of paying attention, gauging risks, planning ahead, and looking out for each other. To illustrate his points, he uses real-life examples, from red light-running to the 2003 Rhode Island nightclub fire that killed 100 people. Although Casner employs a gentle sense of humor, the book's greatest strength is the author's encouragement of compassion for others in everyday life: "We sometimes miss the point that we're all in this together and we really are one another's greatest resource."A modest proposal for a fundamental change to help us not hurt one another.

Kirkus Reviews