Taking chances.

Interesting little snippet in my paper today regarding perceived risk as opposed to real risk. Following the September 11th tragedy, the demand for air travel fell dramatically - and not just in the US. Air travel was perceived to be dangerous, so many people decided to go wherever they were going by car instead. Of course, travel by road is far and away the most hazardous way to get from A to B, and as a result it is estimated that some 2-3,000 extra deaths occurred as a result of this shift. But perception is a very powerful thing...