I can not help but put the following two stories together:

First, USA Today says near misses are on the rise, especially in Washington DC

According to the Post, the Washington-metro area has already had more near misses reported in the past six months than last year’s total of 18. The paper reported that air traffic controllers made 949 errors last year.

That is an amazing statistic. Something is clearly wrong, but not a surprise.

Second, the Washington Post says elected officials are trying to increase the number of passengers allowed to fly into the Washington-metro area from Western states.

A handful of federal lawmakers are seeking to vastly expand the number of long-distance flights at Reagan National Airport, easing long-standing restrictions designed to protect neighboring communities from noise and air pollution.

The report says the total number of flights would not change — shorter routes would be replaced with cross-country ones — but there is no guarantee.

When I put the two stories together I wonder if opponents to change for the DC airports should be rallying around the issue of control gaps and near misses.

The likelihood of major catastrophe from a collision of larger planes flying longer routes might resonate more than residential pollution. It also could help give the ATC issue greater visibility. Controls for air traffic are essential to safety. Strange how much emphasis is placed on things like throwing away toothpaste and taking off shoes when actual ATC errors continue to rise.