# Things that you're surprised don't happen more often **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 23, 2014, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371 "2014-09-23T20:35:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/41 "2014-09-24T16:03:42Z")
Home invasions. Both my grandmothers lived alone into their own homes until very late in life. (Actually the one grandparent still living still lives on her own, but in a seniors complex now) I tried not to think about it, but really, my paternal grandmother lived on a quiet crescent with neighbours who worked all day, and many were often out at camp (Hi Muffin!) or the cottage for much of the summer. She could have been ripe pickings for some drug addicts and money seeking thugs. My other grandmother is alive and is a target for drug fiends and money seeking thugs. They are known as my relatives. But that is another story; for another time, if ever. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/42 "2014-09-24T16:21:00Z")
I’m surprised there haven’t been major school shootings on school buses. In my experience, the worse bullying happens on school buses because 1) there’s very little supervision, 2) the victims have no escape, and 3) kids you ride the school bus with you are the ones who have the most “dirt” on you (you went to grammar school with them, they know where you live, they may know something about your family, etc). If I wanted to find a kid at high risk for violent revenge, I’d start off looking for the social misfit who spends at least an hour or more on a school bus every day day. There are no security guards on a school bus and few exits. Just seems like the “perfect” place to get your homicidal crazed adolescent on. ---
**Author:** ![buddy431](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@buddy431](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddy431)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/43 "2014-09-24T16:50:07Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > I’m always surprised that airport baggage carousels are not stolen from more often. It’s basically, “here’s a pile of luggage: take yours and leave the rest” using the honour system with no one checking that the bag is yours, or that you were on the flight this carousel is delivering for, or even any flight at all. > > But there are signs up saying “many bags look alike; make sure the bag you take is yours” implying that the wrong bag being taken _by accident_ is actually a bigger problem than theft. How often do you think they actually get something valuable vs. how often do they get a bag of dirty clothes? To me it seems like it’s something that would be pretty inconvenient for the victim, but not all that profitable for the criminal. At least with purse snatching there’s probably a wallet in there. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/44 "2014-09-24T16:54:04Z")
> [@grude](#): > > I don’t understand what exactly you think people would do? Hospitals aren’t prisons, there is no need to keep patients in secure wards unless there has been a threat on their life. If you mean stealing narcotics or something, those are kept locked up. Not to keep patients in, but to keep the less than honest people out. There exist sickos who would steal babies, as one example. Less traumatically, there are folks who would steal from sleeping patients. A couple of decades ago I visited my niece in a local hospital after she had a baby. The maternity ward was like a prison lockdown. There was only one entrance/exit for visitors, and a strict limit of two visitors per patient. We had to show I.D. before we could enter. Last week my daughter gave birth in the same hospital. I got a pass at the front desk, took the elevator and wandered through the corridors until I found the right section. I had to press a button to gain admission. Presumably there was a security camera somewhere, but I didn’t see it. Nobody checked anything. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/45 "2014-09-24T17:11:07Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > Not to keep patients in, but to keep the less than honest people out. There exist sickos who would steal babies, as one example. Less traumatically, there are folks who would steal from sleeping patients. > > A couple of decades ago I visited my niece in a local hospital after she had a baby. The maternity ward was like a prison lockdown. There was only one entrance/exit for visitors, and a strict limit of two visitors per patient. We had to show I.D. before we could enter. > > Last week my daughter gave birth in the same hospital. I got a pass at the front desk, took the elevator and wandered through the corridors until I found the right section. I had to press a button to gain admission. Presumably there was a security camera somewhere, but I didn’t see it. Nobody checked anything. Oh yes, there is a huge difference in security between the maternity ward and anywhere else in the hospital. In the maternity ward, you will need to produce ID, name the person you are there to visit, and basically prove that you have a reason to be there. Baby thefts usually only happen when the perp is a nurse at the hospital, or someone else who can enter/leave the ward with little scrutiny. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/46 "2014-09-24T17:23:17Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > For example, I’ve always been shocked that more people don’t get robbed while waiting for their fast food at a drive-through. You’re in your car, usually with the windows down, with your money out. If some guy popped out of the bushes and demanded your money, most of the time you don’t have room to just drive off. Yet I never hear about crimes where people get robbed at gun or knifepoint at a drive through. That surprises me Well, think about it. your committing a robbery in a well lit place, covered with cameras, and with many witnesses, including the fast food workers. And for what, maybe $20 or even less. You’re better off robbing the restaurant, and even that’s a poor target. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/47 "2014-09-24T17:56:22Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > There are no security guards on a school bus and few exits. Just seems like the “perfect” place to get your homicidal crazed adolescent on. They’re not on every bus, but some school buses most definitely have guards. And plus, after you go on your rampage, where do you go? ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/48 "2014-09-24T18:25:06Z")
I am surprized there are not more attacks on our infrastructure. I don’t mean cutting down a few power poles in the boondocks, but stuff like freeway overpasses, bridges, and tunnels. We have thousands of these scattered around the country, and virtually no security for most of them. With bomb-making instructions on the internet, I am surprized no one has blown-up a freeway overpass in an urban area. Sure, it may not kill that many people, but imagine a major artery in your city broken for weeks while repairs are made. The thought of your local freeway being shut down “should” bring thoughts of terror to any commuter. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/49 "2014-09-24T18:28:18Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > They’re not on every bus, but some school buses most definitely have guards. And plus, after you go on your rampage, where do you go? School buses have armed guards now? I did not know this. I don’t know if your last question is serious, but I’ll answer it like it is. Where does any school shooter go? Don’t most of them commit suicide? But instead of shooting themselves right away, take the bus on a Thelma and Louise police chase over a cliff. That’s got “let’s get my face on the cover of Rolling Stones” written all over it. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/50 "2014-09-24T18:50:03Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > School buses have armed guards now? I did not know this. > > I don’t know if your last question is serious, but I’ll answer it like it is. Where does any school shooter go? Don’t most of them commit suicide? But instead of shooting themselves right away, take the bus on a Thelma and Louise police chase over a cliff. That’s got “let’s get my face on the cover of Rolling Stones” written all over it. No, school buses don’t have armed guards. But you never specified “armed.” But most school shooters are so mentally ill that they don’t have much of a plan beyond “Kill A Fuck-Ton of People.” “Get My Face on the Cover of Rolling Stone” is a strawman argument that seems to have popped up after the Boston Marathon bomber got one of his glamour selfies on the cover of the magazine. ---
**Author:** ![Astraea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3e96dc/32.png) [@Astraea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astraea)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/51 "2014-09-24T19:32:35Z")
The fast food thing is puzzling me. Although this thought has occurred to me before while sitting in the drive thru it was quickly discounted because of how the car is positioned. If you’re right at the window, doors locked, with all your windows up except the driver’s side it’s damn near impossible to get to the driver to rob them while starting in a position that won’t allow you to be run over when they drive off in a panic. Your best bet would be a Taco Bell drive they since they deliberately make them so you can’t drive off. Pisses me off every time I think about it I also disagree that people don’t have a lot of money in the drive thru. Who’s to say they didn’t just come from the bank, on the way to pay the rent, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/52 "2014-09-24T19:42:12Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > I am surprized there are not more attacks on our infrastructure. I don’t mean cutting down a few power poles in the boondocks, but stuff like freeway overpasses, bridges, and tunnels. We have thousands of these scattered around the country, and virtually no security for most of them. With bomb-making instructions on the internet, I am surprized no one has blown-up a freeway overpass in an urban area. Sure, it may not kill that many people, but imagine a major artery in your city broken for weeks while repairs are made. The thought of your local freeway being shut down “should” bring thoughts of terror to any commuter. It comes back again to “it’s not a good symbolic target”. Blowing up an overpass would cause real economic harm & inconvenience even if no one was killed, _but_ it lacks the dramatic impact most of the people who would be interested in doing so are looking for. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/53 "2014-09-24T19:45:31Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > It wasn’t even the goal of 9/11; the targets were picked for _symbolic_ purposes, not to kill as many people as possible. I’ve always thought, though, that the 9/11 terrorists _vastly_ overestimated how invested the average American is in the security of downtown Manhattan (I say this as a New Yorker), as well as how much any American would have thought of the World Trade Center as a symbol of American economic power. I think they could have made a lot more people terrified, for a lot longer of a time, if they had taken out a random shopping mall in a different state, once a month, for a few months. How do you go on red alert at every mall in every podunk suburb of the United States? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/54 "2014-09-24T20:44:57Z")
When Obama was first elected, I was sure he wouldn’t make it to his inauguration, considering the number of people who opposed him because he was black. I’m amazed that some right-wing gun nut still hasn’t shot him, after 6 years. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/55 "2014-09-24T22:49:35Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] I think it’s surprising that arson isn’t a more common accompaniment of crime. {snip} [/QUOTE] On the one hand, you have a good point. On the other hand, setting a fire and making sure it stays lit and gets going in order to destroy evidence takes time and fires attract attention (well, eventually). Most perps, ISTM, would want to put as much distance as quickly as possible between themselves and the scene of their crime. [QUOTE=panache45] When Obama was first elected, I was sure he wouldn’t make it to his inauguration, {snip} [/QUOTE] Ditto. ( 😉 ) Anyway…I think that some years after he’s left office, declassified reports will surface showing that the Secret Service, FBI, US Marshalls, and other agencies in some combination, thwarted several attacks. These weren’t reported at the time in order to avoid inspiring copycat attempts. Something the media shows a disgusting inability to understand. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/56 "2014-09-24T23:34:39Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > When Obama was first elected, I was sure he wouldn’t make it to his inauguration, considering the number of people who opposed him because he was black. I’m amazed that some right-wing gun nut still hasn’t shot him, after 6 years. This will be more obscure to most Dopers, but I was a little surprised that Arthur S. Demoulas wasn’t gunned down this summer given he made himself the most hated man in New England for months. ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/57 "2014-09-25T11:49:16Z")
It stuns me that the DC sniper did not lead to a whole bunch of copycats. It’s a simple crime (as long as you can shoot) and it totally paralyzes a metro area. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/58 "2014-09-25T13:03:45Z")
> [@buddy431](#): > > How often do you think they actually get something valuable vs. how often do they get a bag of dirty clothes? To me it seems like it’s something that would be pretty inconvenient for the victim, but not all that profitable for the criminal. At least with purse snatching there’s probably a wallet in there. Also the TSA has first choice for any good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/59 "2014-09-25T15:54:49Z")
I thought of this scenario after seeing an old western in which thieves board a train and rob all of the passengers. This freeway robbery would be a latter-day version of that crime. I’ve always wondered why this has never happened: A gang of thieves steals a bunch of cars. They drive onto a freeway, get side by side, slow down, and then stop. They then get out of the cars with guns and start robbing everyone in the cars behind them. After robbing “enough” people, they drive away, leaving the freeway blocked, and make their getaway. There’s a lot of details about this that would need tweaking: they would have to have at least one extra car at the front in which they could make their getaway. They’d have to disable the stolen cars so that people behind couldn’t just drive them out of the way. Maybe taking the keys of the blocking cars would be enough. They’d have to choose a point on the freeway in which people couldn’t just drive around the blocking cars. They might need lookouts to make sure that there weren’t any cops close by in the massed cars, or to spot anyone getting out of their cars with guns. So why hasn’t something like this happened? Maybe the payoff isn’t big enough? Let’s say you rob 100 people, who have an average of $200 on them. That’s only $20,000. Say you also take rings, watches, cell phones, etc making the total take per car 10 times greater. That only ups the haul to $200,000. In this day and age, I suppose cell phones are the death of this plan. As soon as they got out of the cars with guns, 9 - 1 - 1 would be getting inundated with calls. I suppose a cell phone blocker might alleviate this problem. What other problems do you see with this scenario, and do you see a solution to it? For instance, people in the massed cars may start fleeing, once they see the guys with guns. To solve this, you can have extra gang members with guns in cars 10 - 15 cars back, preventing the flee-ers from escaping without giving up the goods. J. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371/60 "2014-09-25T16:16:18Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > I thought of this scenario after seeing an old western in which thieves board a train and rob all of the passengers. This freeway robbery would be a latter-day version of that crime. > > I’ve always wondered why this has never happened: A gang of thieves steals a bunch of cars. They drive onto a freeway, get side by side, slow down, and then stop. They then get out of the cars with guns and start robbing everyone in the cars behind them. After robbing “enough” people, they drive away, leaving the freeway blocked, and make their getaway. > > There’s a lot of details about this that would need tweaking: they would have to have at least one extra car at the front in which they could make their getaway. They’d have to disable the stolen cars so that people behind couldn’t just drive them out of the way. Maybe taking the keys of the blocking cars would be enough. They’d have to choose a point on the freeway in which people couldn’t just drive around the blocking cars. They might need lookouts to make sure that there weren’t any cops close by in the massed cars, or to spot anyone getting out of their cars with guns. > > So why hasn’t something like this happened? Maybe the payoff isn’t big enough? Let’s say you rob 100 people, who have an average of $200 on them. That’s only $20,000. Say you also take rings, watches, cell phones, etc making the total take per car 10 times greater. That only ups the haul to $200,000. > > In this day and age, I suppose cell phones are the death of this plan. As soon as they got out of the cars with guns, 9 - 1 - 1 would be getting inundated with calls. I suppose a cell phone blocker might alleviate this problem. > > What other problems do you see with this scenario, and do you see a solution to it? For instance, people in the massed cars may start fleeing, once they see the guys with guns. To solve this, you can have extra gang members with guns in cars 10 - 15 cars back, preventing the flee-ers from escaping without giving up the goods. > > J. How do you keep the victims from reporting the license plate numbers of the cars that blocked the traffic? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-youre-surprised-dont-happen-more-often/699371.md?page=4)