Automobiles have massive restrictions on freedoms. Their are entire sections of state law codes devoted to their sale, operation, manufacture, licensing, etc. Cars are massively regulated and chock full of safety and other regs.
I'm saying I don't know how accurate the reports are, or if they are "accurate enough." I poked holes in them in minutes....
Wanna drive, license. Wanna fly, license. Don't wanna drive or fly, no license. Simple.
Only in Arizona do you need to worry about having a license to be a passenger. (Only partially true, but it applies enough)
Once upon a time, families could see their loved ones off at the docking area. Be it ship or airplane, where it docked with it's version of the port, families could wave to their loved ones as they entered the craft.
But suddenly, people discovered airplanes can actually crash into the sides of buildings! Now Airplanes have special laws. Laws ships and trains don't have. Odd, when you consider the damage a train can do if deliberately hijacked. Or a Ship. But terrorists haven't struck terror there.
The thing about preventable deaths is, they're preventable. You're talking about people like they're statistics. What is the acceptable number of people to give a shit about when we're deathly serious and the preventable death we're serous about might be yours. 1.
Preventable deaths:
Any death by lightening. Ever walked outside in a storm where lightning occured? No? Well guess that one doesn't apply.
Death by being hit by a drunk driver while in the passenger seat of a vehicle. Ever been in an automobile as a passenger? No? Well guess that one doesn't apply.
Any death by Cancer. Do you eat healthy, regularly exercise, avoid all vices, and get regular checkups? Yes? Holy shit, your life must suck!
Obviously I doubt that you really do avoid "avoidable deaths", because ultimately there are other considerations besides the fact "Oh crap, this might kill me!"
I've actually weighed a lot more scenarios than you think I have though, and have long ago decided the freedom is worth the slightly increased chance of death.
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Other than that, it's basic game theory.
Namely it's a lot like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_theory#Biology
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The bigger the numbers, the better. "Hawk," means fight. "Dove" means peace. If both sides fight, the numbers are 20,20, the lowest possible. If one fights and the other doesn't fighting gets 80 and non fighting gtes 40. If both are peaceful, 60,60.
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Prisoner's problem: You've gotta trust the other guy not to screw you over if you don't screw him over. Good luck with that. This is especially true when the stakes are incredibly high....
The Prisoner's Dilemma disintegrates with communication. Both want the best for themselves. With communication, as long as neither decides they want to screw the other for no purpose except to screw the other, you are able to get the ideal situation for both people the most often.
The Prisoner's Dilemma disintegrates with common interests. If both people are similar, the natural empathy will encourage the gamble that they will be like you, so you again are able to get the ideal situation for both people.
The Prisoner's Dilemma disintegrates with consequences. If the consequences for anything except an ideal for both parties situation are severe enough, neither side will act destructive to the other for fear of the consequences of the lesser form even if it gives a chance of total victory.
It's not always about trust, and the lack of communication is the only thing that allows the prisoner's dilemma to be a dilemma. Terrorists aren't playing to cause chaos, they are playing to win, and to win that means they want the ideal outcome for them. Cooperation gives them a better outcome than mutual attacks, but someone has to be trustworthy for the other to trust, even if it's at the risk of losing a few rounds. Communication ensures that the ideal situation is what occurs most often.