The looming shadow of terrorism is pervasive. The recent suicide attack that targeted a music concert in Manchester, UK; the vehicle attack in London, UK, two months prior; and compounded further by regular images across the media of marauding attacks in cities such as Paris and Berlin. These acts of extreme violence are perpetrated by individuals who embrace death as part of the objective of their actions. The very thought of this is no doubt extremely worrisome, but what are the chances of falling victim to terrorism? The simple answer: very small indeed. Worrying about terrorism to the neglect of more prevalent threats, however, may actually increase your risk. Business travelers quite often have irrational or misplaced fears that can lead them to not feel secure, when in fact they are, while conversely some often feel secure when abroad but are actually far from it. A significant number of travelers fear the risk of terrorism and, in doing so, neglect those risks that are statistically far more likely to kill or injure them. “Security is two different things – it is a feeling and a reality. You can feel secure even if you are not and you can be secure even if you don’t feel it,” says security technologist Bruce Schneier. Schneier further explains certain biases in risk perception: Human beings tend to exaggerate spectacular and rare risks and downplay common risks.
What is most likely to kill you when traveling? The U.S State Department maintains records of all registered deaths of U.S. citizens abroad. The details identify for the majority what they died of and where. The results may surprise you. See the two charts in the images above for more details. In Figure 2, it is interesting to note the correlation between deaths due to Terorism (Yellow) and that of deaths due to Pedestrian accidents (Orange).
This complacency prevalent with certain travelers often leads to their safety and security decreasing whilst the chances of them being a victim to crime, or neglecting risks increasing. If our feelings match security reality – we make better trade offs. To improve our personal security services united states it is important to understand these two key biases. “If it is in the news don’t worry about it, as by definition news is something that almost never happens,” says Bruce Schneier. The solution, therefore, is to know what the risks are – and obtain “Ground Truth.” This should involve research into your destination. What are the main dangers of the country or cities that you will be visiting?
Crime, natural disasters, health issues and political instability are all important factors to consider. Consider also specific and current issues such as date rape drugs being utilized in a tourist hotspot, or a spate of recent muggings in certain locations. Study the U.S. State Department website, or the equivalent travel risk management advisory guidance of your country of origin. Comments are closed.
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