Risk philosophy and misunderstanding

Accidents of low probability and severe consequences represent the same risk as accidents of higher probability and less severe consequences. This fact is not accepted by the population. People can visualize consequences, but do not understand probabilities. People fear the large-scale accident much more than the many small ones. If political acceptance of a decision is to be obtained, it is much more important to be able to limit the consequences than to reduce probabilities. It must also be realized that unlimited safety cannot be obtained. We can pay for greater safety and greater security. But resources are limited, and therefore there are also limits to how far we can go in combatting risks