Sabotaging Safety

Adolescent pranks, things that people arrested in juvenile-delinquent mode find amusing can so very often result in grave consequences. Not for the jokesters but certainly for the victims of their 'amusing' little practises. Behaviour that looks like no-brainers for consequences, like dropping rocks off bridges onto oncoming traffic, that kind of thing. Fun and games to the undeveloped intelligence of a prankster, but catastrophe to the driver and passengers when the rock drops through the windshield and the driver loses control of his vehicle.

And what's the allure of using lasers, to shine them at people, temporarily blinding them? Used to be flashlights that feeble-minded youngsters enjoyed lighting up others' faces with. Now there are new, infinitely more powerful toys to play around with. And, of course, the more people know about the practise, the more it gets reported - particularly because sometimes the big joke causes the spectacular to occur, which is presumably what the urge to play idiot is meant to produce.

Transport Canada's Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System keeps track of what are termed by them laser attacks on aircraft. Virtually any strength of laser is capable of causing harm when it is directed skyward into the cockpit of an aircraft. The darker the night, the more dangerously effective the blinding light that shines into the eyes of the unsuspecting victim piloting an aircraft.

If convicted, someone suspected of deliberately flashing a laser at an aircraft could be fined up to $100,000 under the Aeronautics Act. That individual could also face up to five years in prison. Presumably, if the fall-out of such an attack is sufficiently grave, the individual who committed the attack could face both penalties; fine and prison. And should the worst-case scenario ensue, and the offender caught and convicted, that type of penalty is well deserved.

Lasers can burn the retinas of people who are exposed to them. The lesser effect of such exposure can result in temporary damage to the retina, not permanent. But sufficient damage that it would take months for the victim to fully recover normal eyesight. In the case of a pilot that would mean he or she would be effectively grounded as a result of a health impediment to eyesight, obviously vital to piloting a mechanical craft of any kind.

That's one issue. The other is the obvious potential for loss of control of the aircraft, imperilling the lives of anyone aboard the aircraft. In the instance of passenger jets that might result in a catastrophic crash with a huge loss of life. At Pearson International Airport in Toronto, 30 flight crews reported being disturbed by a laser beam while in the process of taking off or landing, in 2009. Fewer such complaints have emanated from other Canadian airports.

People indulge themselves in various types of anti-social and on occasion psychopathic behaviours, revealing their utter lack of concern for the welfare of others. Perhaps in the long run, the situation will require the fashioning of a new type of aeronautical eyewear, goggles with properties that could effectively deflect the beams of laser light. The solution to the presence within society of mentally-deranged and morally-devoid malefactors is another thing altogether.