To let my child go on a school trip to London tomorrow?

[reallybadidea]

DS is in year 6 and they have a school trip to London (to one of the museum's) planned for tomorrow. My Facebook is full of other mums saying they won't be letting their children go. I can't see that it's any riskier than going anywhere else and have no problem with him going. Am I being sensible or stupid?

Would you go on holiday somewhere where there is high chance of an earthquake happening anywhere in that particular country?

So that would rule out most of Italy then. And yet lots of people still visit Italy.

I live in South Korea. Perpetually belligerent neighbour to the north. People just get on with it. Nothing else you can do, really.

You are far more likely to die in an RTA - as someone else said, the coach journey is the most dangerous part.

I have to go to London tomorrow too. A colleague has decided not to go to the meeting I am going to because she is too scared. Her choice, but I am making a different one.

Can I digress and ask everyone reading this with a smartphone to download the Citizenaid app. It offers advice on what to do in event of an attack and lots of advice about first aid.

We live in London (zone 4) and daughter had a letter saying their field trip to the other side of London has been cancelled following a risk assessment? I don't know what to think - We still have to go on living and travelling but I suppose the school don't want the responsibility.

You are far more likely to die in an RTA - as someone else said, the coach journey is the most dangerous part.

This is spot on. And, were - God forbid - you wrote off your car on the way to school, that would not make the news. People would not see he picture in the paper. Because it happens so often that it wouldn't be news. We all get in our cars and generally don't think about it; we have internalised that risk. Digested it, if you like.

On the other hand, a terrorist attack is hugely shocking and unexpected. It shakes us to the core. It is deeply upsetting and frightening....but it affects our perception of risk and makes us irrational. We see the headlines and we grossly overestimated the risk.

Nothing in life is risk free. But it's important to teach children how to assess risk rationally. It sets a bad example to cancel plans on this basis.

Look at it in reverse. You are extremely unlikely to win the lottery. As a result, you wouldn't buy thousands of pounds of luxury goods on credit on the basis that there is a tiny chance that you might win on Saturday. You wouldn't start looking at £20 million houses on the grounds that you might win. You wouldn't cancel your holiday on the grounds that you might win and be able to go somewhere better. Why? Because the chance is small. It's the same with a school trip to London.

You're being very sensible!

Is America high risk? Well, it probably is, as there are shootings there constantly, but barely any would make the news here as they're so commonplace.

Also millions of us live in London and go about our daily routines as normal. I can somewhat understand the hesitation of those who live elsewhere, particularly regarding their children, but the likelihood of anything happening is still extremely low.

I live in zone 4 and had a letter yesterday to say that all London trips have been cancelled to London for the rest of the term.

I know how you feel but life goes on. We have to go on as normal otherwise we are giving the terrorists exactly what they want.