Alcohol and motorcycles threaten healthy lives through two different paths — cancer and severe trauma — and statistics at home and abroad show the scale of the damage.
Choi Seok-jae, a professor of emergency medicine at Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital, identified alcohol and motorcycles as the two things to avoid to protect one's health, medical sources said on the 15th. Choi said alcohol is linked not only to cancer but also to pancreatitis, acute myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction, while motorcycle riders are easily thrown clear of the vehicle in a crash and suffer fatal injuries.
A report released by the World Health Organization on June 25, 2024, showed that 2.6 million people worldwide died of alcohol-related causes in 2019, accounting for 4.7% of all deaths. Of those, 401,000 were cancer deaths and 724,000 were deaths from injuries including traffic accidents and self-harm. Alcohol was behind 13% of deaths among people aged 20 to 39.
The WHO Regional Office for Europe said in January 2023 that there is no evidence to establish a safe level of drinking. Acetaldehyde, produced as alcohol breaks down in the body, damages DNA and contributes to the development of cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen.
The U.S. Office of the Surgeon General said on Jan. 3, 2025, that alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of cancer, after smoking and obesity. It also estimated that alcohol causes about 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. According to the analysis, two drinks a day would lead to cancer in five additional women out of every 100 and three additional men out of every 100, compared with abstaining.
The risks of motorcycles show up in the data as well. Citing figures from the Korea Road Traffic Authority, news reports said 388 people died in two-wheeler accidents in 2025, or 15.2% of all traffic fatalities. Two-wheelers accounted for 2.7 deaths per 100 accidents, more than double the overall average of 1.3.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calculated that, as of 2017, motorcycle riders were about 27 times more likely to die per mile traveled than passenger car occupants. It also estimated that helmets saved 1,872 lives that year, and that 749 more could have been saved had all riders worn them.
A Korea Road Traffic Authority analysis of accidents from 2003 to 2012 found that 66.4% of motorcycle fatalities involved head injuries. The WHO cites head trauma as the leading cause of death among two-wheeler riders, saying a quality-certified helmet cuts the risk of death by more than six times and reduces the risk of brain injury by up to 74%. Helmets cannot prevent crashes, however, so riders must avoid speeding and obey traffic laws.