Yes, bloody assaults tend to scare people

Every time I read a news story about someone getting attacked on a bus or train or at a bus stop or rail station, I wonder what prospective bus and train riders must be thinking. Actually, I know what they're thinking: Why should I ride a bus or train and risk the chance of being assaulted when I can drive my car?

That's a valid question. At least on the face of it. It's about as valid as saying, "I'm not going to fly on an airplane because they occasionally crash." The reality is that it's much safer to fly from Los Angeles to Chicago than it is to drive there.

Although I've never seen any statistics to this point, I'm sure the odds of being attacked on a bus or at a station are exceedingly slim, much slimmer than what would be suggested by media accounts of knifings by swarming assailants. I would guess that your chances of incurring a life-threatening injury are much higher in your car than on a bus.

But that doesn't give much comfort to those people who read articles about violent attacks against transit users, does it? The media are always going to report those incidents, just as they report people dying in car accidents on the freeway. It's just that you tend to remember one and not the other.

I think bus and rail operators should emphasize the relative safety of their vehicles. They tend to play up the cost savings of using public transportation or the environmental benefits, but hardly ever the safety. You're safer in a bus or train than in your car! Let's get the word out there so these news story don't continue to scare people away.

Until next time.

Steve

Comments

[Michele]

But people driving in their cars don't make such interesting news do they?