Is Flying Safer Than Driving?
Many people avoid flying due to a fear of plane crashes, but it’s worth pausing to consider how unlikely it actually is to die in such an accident. Moreover, it’s important to ask whether those odds are, in fact, higher or lower than those of dying in something like a car accident.
The answer to that question is surprisingly difficult to parse, as though the U.S. government maintains lots of statistical data on both types of accidents, comparing the two sets is not easy. From a general viewpoint, whether flying is safe is a resounding “yes,” but whether it is safer than driving is what the following information will help you determine.
How Safe Is Flying?
A better question to ask here may be, “How often do planes crash?” And answering that is a bit more straightforward: The accident rate of flights is 1.13 per million flights, or roughly one accident in every 880,000 flights. Even taking into account that plane accidents are significantly more likely to result in catastrophic injuries or death, those are remarkably good numbers.
For one thing, flying is expensive; most people can’t afford to fly more than a few times per year, which amounts to, at most, a few hundred flights in a lifetime. And even celebrities who might fly everywhere are unlikely to fly more than a few thousand times. Altogether, everyone, regardless of lifestyle, has a less-than-1% chance of ever getting into an accident.
The above statistics include all kinds of flights. Commercial flights, in particular, are considered safer than private flights, which means the average person is at even less risk than these statistics indicate.
Comparing Flight Safety to Driving
The main difficulty in comparing flight safety to driving is that the latter is calculated by miles driven rather than the number of excursions.
For example, the fatality rate in 2023 was 1.26 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. Determining just how many trips that encompasses, though, is impossible. Some people may average a mile or less per trip; others may commute upwards of 50 miles to and from work every weekday.
In a similar sense, it is difficult to determine what the average flight length is. Commercial flights usually travel several hundred miles, but private flights might be quite a bit shorter.
But even knowing that wouldn’t be enough to directly compare the two modes of transport, seeing as the accident rate for flying isn’t the fatality rate. A car accident is significantly less likely than a plane accident to result in a fatality, but that doesn’t mean all plane accidents result in fatalities. Some occur at ground level or otherwise allow for a reasonably safe landing.
Other Factors
There are other factors worth noting. For one, planes are typically a form of public transportation. When you are in a plane, you are usually accompanied by a few hundred people. As such, the potential loss of life in a plane accident is higher than it would be in a car accident.
Conversely, several common dangers don’t arise during plane travel. Pilots are unlikely to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and distracted flying is just as doubtful. Additionally, in commercial planes, there are usually multiple pilots in the cockpits, meaning there are extra eyes, ears, and hands to help prevent accidents.
Flying Is Arguably Safer Than Driving
Because the statistics of the two methods of travel use different models, there is no easy way to make a simple comparison between flying and driving safety. However, based on the number of times you are likely to get into a plane during your lifetime, you are less likely to get into an accident while flying than you are while in a car.
Contact a Northbrook Car Accident Lawyer at Kass & Moses Personal Injury Lawyers for Legal Help
While flying may be statistically safer than driving, car accidents remain a leading cause of injury and death in the U.S. If you or someone you love has been hurt in a motor vehicle crash, our experienced Northbrook car accident attorneys are here to help. Contact Kass & Moses Personal Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation.
Kass & Moses Personal Injury Lawyers
601 Skokie Blvd Suite 401
Northbrook, IL 60062
(847) 513-9582
