Last night I was flipping through the channels when I happened upon ABC’s 20/20. It seemed the entire program (well, the three-quarters I watched) focused on topics intended to frighten travelers. Actually, let me amend that to “intended to frighten people who don’t travel much.”

One story was about how much autopilots are used in the cockpits of modern jetliners and zeroed in, of course, on the Asiana crash and the recent landing of a JetBlue aircraft at the wrong airfield, attributed by the producers of the program, of course, to the “over-reliance” on autopilots. No mention of the thousands upon thousands of flights which are completed every year in complete safety, and the fact that air safety is the best it’s ever been.

Another story touched on incidents of passengers falling off cruise ships. Now, if you’ve ever been on a cruise ship, you know that simply “falling” off a ship is nearly impossible. The railings are so high that you literally have to climb up and over one, or be lifted up and hoisted over one, in order to “fall” off the ship and into the water. Again, the producers glossed over the fact that every incident of a “fall” occurred when the “victim” was pushed, intoxicated or otherwise “assisted” in getting over the rail. The fact that millions of people cruise every year without incident was barely mentioned while much was made about the fact that most ships don’t have a security system which alerts immediately when someone goes overboard. Would such a system be beneficial? Yes, but meanwhile, a little common sense and knowing when you’ve had enough should keep you from plunging off your ship.

The leading story of the program covered the tragic deaths of hotel guests from carbon monoxide poisoning. Now this one did give me pause, as carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, and one can be overcome without knowing there is a problem. Unlike smoke detectors, most states and municipalities don’t require carbon monoxide detectors in hotel rooms. The fumes come from combustion gases produced by, for example, cars and trucks, lanterns, gas stoves and heating systems. Three deaths in the story were as a result of a pool heating system that was not functioning or venting properly. While one wouldn’t expect a problem in a high-end, well-maintained property, the fact is sometimes a malfunction isn’t detected until it’s too late, and I’ve certainly stayed at my share of less-than-stellar accommodations! The solution? Well, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to require hotels to have carbon monoxide detectors alongside smoke detectors, especially in rooms with gas fireplaces or stoves. And if one is really concerned, one could always travel with one’s own detector.

How about you? Does this issue concern you? Do you ask whether your room is equipped with a CO detector at your hotel?

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor