ATM muggings and murders have long been a problem that, for some reason, banks and lawmakers have been reluctant to address. But according to Robin Sax, a former deputy district attorney, the solution is too simple to not implement. The emergency PIN system would allow victims to punch in their PIN number backwards, or use a separate emergency PIN number, that would still allow money to be withdrawn, but at the same time notify local law enforcers and the bank branch that the crime is taking place. The Electronic Funds Transfer Association estimated that, in 2008, 60,000 Americans were held up at gunpoint at ATMs, and some of those were murdered. Greg Smith, a Los Angeles politician, estimates that installing such a system would only cost $25 per machine. While some have criticized this solution as “knee-jerk” legislation, ideas like the emergency PIN system have been around for decades, and implementing the system could save lives.