Citation

López-Rousseau A. Psychol. Sci. 2005; 16(6): 426-428.

Affiliation

lopezrousseau@telefonica.net

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Association for Psychological Science, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.0956-7976.2005.01551.x

PMID

15943666

Abstract

Abstract-After the airplane attacks of September 11, 2001, in the United States, many Americans drove instead of flying, to avoid the risk of terrorism. As a result, there were extra car accidents in which many people died. This study tested whether a similar effect occurred in Spain after the train bombings of March 11, 2004, in Madrid. Data on train travel, highway traffic, and fatal highway accidents were analyzed for the months immediately following March 11. Results show that, like Americans, Spaniards avoided the dread risk of terror attacks, but unlike Americans, they did not confront the death risk of fatal accidents instead. A sociopolitical interpretation for these findings is offered.

Language: en