February can be a mighty cruel month. The forced comedy of Ground Hogs Day, the slog through the end of winter, and, worst of all, Valentine’s Day, the mirthless pay-as-you-go celebration of romance.
But Valentine’s Day has issues beyond buying roses and chocolates and dinner at condescending restaurants barely able to brook your presence, even. Valentine’s Day turns out to be dangerous too.
No, Valentine’s Day doesn’t show up on the top 10 days of traffic fatalities, lagging far behind Thanksgiving and Labor Day. Nor does it lead to a huge jump in the number of people who have post stuff-your-face heart attacks (Christmas) or firecracker related trauma (July 4). What it does provide however is that most humbling and perhaps poetic way to shuffle off this mortal coil: death in the saddle for those no longer fit for action.