The risk level of an activity needs to be incorporated into today's hype. Not using a good carseat and driving like an idiot is probably the most likely way to get your kids really hurt.
Kids going off alone into a big park and playing in the mud is not very risky at all, but you don't see that enough. Fear of sexual predators also goes way beyond the likelihood of an assault.
I really wish people understood statistics more, and paid attention to likelihoods when reasoning about risk.
Maybe some good visualizations about risk by demographic would help out.
I have fond memories of standing up on the floorboard in the back of my parents' car and sticking my face out the window on the highway when I was a little kid.
If I let my son do that today, we'd probably end up on the 6'oclock news -- someone would probably call 911 on their cellphone!
Kids going off alone into a big park and playing in the mud is not very risky at all, but you don't see that enough. Fear of sexual predators also goes way beyond the likelihood of an assault.
I really wish people understood statistics more, and paid attention to likelihoods when reasoning about risk.
Maybe some good visualizations about risk by demographic would help out.