Following the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City, many Americans elected to drive rather than fly. The media coverage of the hijackings caused Americans to overestimate the danger of flying. This example illustrates:

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The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut whereby people make judgments about the likelihood of an event based on how easily examples of that event come to mind. In this case, the vivid media coverage of the 9/11 attacks made people more likely to recall them when considering the risks of air travel, leading to an overestimation of the danger of flying.

Following the September 11, 2001 Attacks in New York City