[extropy-chat] a comparison with London bombings

BillK pharos at gmail.com
Fri Jul 8 16:24:27 UTC 2005


On 7/8/05, Damien Broderick wrote:
> Britain 2002:
> 
> Child pedestrians:
> Killed  79
> Killed or seriously injured  2,828
> 
> Adult pedestrians:
> Killed 696
> Killed or seriously injured  5,803
> 
> Motorcyclists and passengers:
> Killed 609
> Killed or seriously injured 7,500
> 
> Car drivers and passengers:
> Killed 1,747
> Killed or seriously injured 18,728
> 

People overreact emotionally to disasters and are very poor at risk
analysis. And you won't get any thanks for pointing this out. You
cruel, heartless, calculating monster!  ;)

Look at the panic about shark attacks in Florida in the news.
(About ten people annually are killed by sharks worldwide).

Try telling them that 9/11 deaths are similar to monthly U.S. traffic
fatalities.
Compare the road safety budgets with homeland security budgets. 

9/11 fatalities were several to ten times fewer than annual deaths
from falls (in the home or workplace), or from suicide, or from
homicide.

Instead of rationally apportioning funds to the worst or most unfair
societal predicaments, homeland security budgets soar.

In the UK we will probably have huge spending on nonsensical security
measures now, just like in the US..

BillK



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