This Video is Graphic and Disturbing…
and this is how it relates to Homeland Security
This sobering video is a somewhat graphic medium that has already impacted the lives of millions of viewers. Though criticized by some as overly graphic, in today’s somewhat emotionally numb world, this in-your-face, punch-in-the-gut style is what is required to get people’s attention. The objective (and I believe it hits the mark) of the video is to remind drivers that driving is a serious activity with serious consequences to poor judgment and complacency.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website, motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. More than 2.3 million adult drivers and passengers were treated in emergency departments as the result of being injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2009. The economic impact is also notable: the lifetime costs of crash-related deaths and injuries among drivers and passengers were $70 billion in 2005. U.S. census reports that there are more than ten million motor vehicle accidents every year and result in over 33,000 deaths annually in the U.S. alone.
Now compare this figure to the number of deaths in the U.S. with a nexus to terrorism as reported in the Global Terrorism Database, which is an average of less than 89 people annually since 1970 (and less than 9 people annually if the events of 2001 are excluded). Yet, in FY 2013 government programs spent more than 6 times more on counter-terrorism efforts (~$16 billion annually) than on highway safety (~$2.5 billion annually) (See note below). Writings by Mueller and Stewart discuss this topic in depth in their book, “Terror, Security, and Money.” (2011)
Is it really a simple matter of risk tolerance and political realities? Events have shown that Americans will not accept losses from deliberate acts and will spare no expense to reacquire a reassuring sense of safety and security. If a death is the result of an ‘accident’, than it is viewed as tragic, yet Americans as a collective continue on with the status quo — fully knowing similar events will happen again. Both nexuses rip innocent lives from loved ones and affect survivors eternally. Yet, as shown in the video, many vehicle ‘accidents’ could easily be categorized as ‘deliberate’ as they have as much to do with extremely poor judgment as they do with uncontrollable factors…so why the difference? Are we intolerant only when we have something we can blame? Should we be focusing our resources on the hazards that are the most probable or the ones that have potentially catastrophic consequences, but may never occur? These ‘black swans’, as they are commonly referred, may only actually physically impact a small segment of the population (of course, the emotional toll may affect a much wider population).
On a tangential note:
The trend of increasing automation of the driving control function of automobiles will be an interesting study. We have already seen cars that can park themselves and engage brakes faster than our human reaction. The dedicated 360 degree sensors that perform these tasks are much less prone to distraction and fatigue than their multitasking human counterparts. These marvelous innovations should theoretically reduce the number of highway accidents caused by human error and humans’ inevitable lack of good judgment. It is a safe bet, however, that car accidents will still occur albeit at a lower rate.
The question is: What is the tolerance Americans will have to risk when highway death is attributed to technical error? One can already imagine the outcry over the first innocent life lost from an accident where a human was not at the wheel. This query reflects the irony of the emotional component. Numbers do not matter if peoples perceptions go in another direction.
Note:
The above budget figures were selected as applicable portions of the total U.S. Homeland Security Budget and Federal Department of Transportation Budget. The total budgets of these departments include numerous agencies and initiatives that would not apply to the topic.
