Assaulted and robbed are the least of my worries. Its a small chance but its there. What I hate about public transit is the public part.

I've witnessed tons of anti-social behavior over the years taking the DC metro and honestly, have never been comfortable ever since I was a child and got stuck between two drunk men arguing after a baseball game. I was feeling claustrophobic and could even feel the spit hit my face. The car was packed and no room to really get away from it. I think its gotten better but I wouldn't know as I haven't used it in years.

People are swayed by anecdotes and dramatic headlines and politics and look for reasons to be afraid. People don't know how to measure risk in their day to day lives. It's an indictment of something, but not public transportation.