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| November 28, 2010 | TSA body scanners are tipping point for travellers | | Washington: A psychologist has said that the new security measures at the nation’s airports are the straws that broke the travellers’ backs. UAB psychologist Josh
Klapow, a professor in the School of Public Health, says it is the last straw for
travellers, who are already feeling stressed. 'Invasive body scanners and pat downs
are the tipping point that is putting us over the edge regarding air travel,' Klapow says.
'We’re so frustrated by air travel in general: the cost, the inconvenience, the almost
de-humanizing experience. So it’s not surprising that people are rising up to
object to the latest humiliations, the full body X-rays or the dreaded pat-down.
It’s the last straw. Intellectually, we understand that this sort of security
is important and necessary....but emotionally, it is pushing us beyond our comfort
zones and makes it very hard to accept and handle,” he stated. Since the backlash
to the enhanced screening techniques largely stems from our emotional response
to the long list of indignities associated with air travel, Klapow says that to
restore civility to flying, we need to understand and examine the entire flying
experience. It’s not just pat downs, it’s pat downs on top of everything else
associated with modern flying. UAB forensic scientist Jason Linville, Ph.D., a
professor of justice sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, says serious
questions about the validity of the forensic data generated by full body scanners
need to be answered. Linville acknowledges that full-body scanning has merits
in terms of identifying evidence of a threat but questions whether the returns
are worth the investment. “I don’t know that the TSA has been able to present
a case for whether the full body scanners currently in use are actually doing
the job they intend,” he said. “There is the notion that the scanners may not
actually reveal useful evidence. “If the scanners can’t detect specific devices
or substances more often than currently used metal detectors, there should be
a serious discussion about their use, especially given the national discourse
on privacy that they have generated,” he added.
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