IS DRIVING SAFER THAN FLYING?

 

There are two types of people in the world: the ones who are fond of travelling and exploring new places, and the ones who are terribly afraid of flying. This fear is very common and can be caused by multiple factors. Are you afraid of flying too? Statistics will make you understand that it’s a pointless fear.

But before we begin, it’s important to underline that the numbers provided are related to commercial flight, not to the private flight.

So let’s get into it and see why flying is the safest way to travel.

Considering all the terrible accidents happening in aviation, it may appear as a paradox.

Flying has become less dangerous than it used to be in the 1900s. In fact, there are twice as many planes in the air as there were 25 years ago, and yet the number of mortal accidents has been remarkably decreasing.

Flying is statistically safer than driving and in order to convince you even more, let’s consider numbers in the US: your probability to die in a car accident is 1 in a 6,800 while there is only 1 fatal accident in 13 million flights. Quite different numbers, right? Yet it’s enough to hear a single piece of news about a plane crash to shock the entire world. 

Also, it’s not really reassuring to know that a pilot we’ve never seen is flying us to our destination. But if you don’t trust the pilot, think about this: a plane accident can only be caused by the pilot because he’s the only one that – together with the co-pilot – knows how to control the aircraft. Plus, there aren’t other planes around the one you’re on in the sky. Technical issues are not being considered since they’re very rare.

A car accident, instead, isn’t caused just by the driver, there are hundreds of cars and other means of transport in the streets. Math tells us the chance of being involved in a car accident is higher.

Pilots are people who have been strictly selected and trained for this profession, they have hundred hours of flying in their background and they have a perfect and clean mental profile which is constantly monitored.

Whoever is of age, instead, can drive a car, from a healthy person to a drug or alcohol addict, we just don’t know who’s driving.

If turbulences are what scares you the most, just know that planes are built in such way that a single turbulence can’t make a plane crash. Most of the injuries related to turbulences are linked to luggage falling or unfastened seatbelts.

Turbulences happen because planes fly at an altitude where there often are lighting strikes, pressure changes or even electromagnetic fields. Still, flying remains safe. That’s because flight critical systems like electronic engine and flight controls are protected by a shielded-wiring system against storms and pressure changes.

 There are also new ways to protect flights even more, even outside of the plane. It’s control tower and their flight controllers’ job to direct and manage flights. Inside the tower there are people monitoring and locating flights constantly,  while others help planes understand what’s happening around them since the tower offers more visibility and details.

So,  the answer to my initial question is ... no, driving isn’t safer than flying. 

Maria, 4scB