Although travelers in the United States are more likely to die in an automobile crash than on a commercial flight covering the same distance, people often assume that flying is more dangerous than driving. What type of heuristic are people using when they make this assumption?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

People are using the availability heuristic, which means they judge the likelihood of an event based on how easily examples of it come to mind. In this case, instances of car crashes are more readily available in people's minds because they hear about them more often in the news or from personal experiences, leading them to believe that flying is more dangerous.

Although Travelers in the United States Are More Likely to Die