A proponent of vaccine mandates might well argue that even though airplanes are not high-transmission environments, they could still be made safer still by requiring passengers to be vaccinated or show a negative test.Before the security theater, the airlines requiring that parents purchase space and an airworthy infant safety seat almost certainly induced parents to drive longer distances rather than fly, which exposed the tots to more travel risk.
That's true. Nevertheless, requiring testing or vaccination on airplanes will entirely deter some people from boarding flights, leading them to instead choose the more dangerous option of driving. That will mean more auto accidents and more resulting deaths, which could outweigh whatever safety benefits we'd get from lowering the already low risk of in-air COVID transmission.
TSA security serves as a good parallel. The added hassle the agency's pre-flight security screenings added to air travel encouraged people to substitute driving for flying, resulting in an estimated additional 500 auto deaths per year after 9/11. That almost certainly outweighed whatever terrorism-caused deaths the TSA's security screenings prevented.
Why aren't Our Political Masters more attuned to risk assessment?
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