4 ms·

That assumes that cars break while not in use. Tires can pop while being driven, for example. There are plenty of devastating and life-taking accidents that com

That assumes that cars break while not in use. Tires can pop while being driven, for example. There are plenty of devastating and life-taking accidents that come from car failures.

delinka 9y ago
And plenty of in-use car failures do not take lives. Tires popping during a drive don't often result in death of the occupants of the troubled car nor those around it. If your car engine stops running, you're not going to fall to your death for lack of speed. If your jet engines all stop, the chance that death will result is quite a bit higher.
- mitochondrion 9y ago
  "If your car engine stops running, you're not going to fall to your death for lack of speed." You know, to even get your private pilot's license, you have to pass a simulated engine-out. Fixed-wing craft are perfectly capable of gliding without power.
  - delinka 9y ago
    Indeed. They're not required to crash with engines out. But on a passenger jet, the odds of crashing and causing deaths from several miles up when the engines fail is tremendously higher than death being caused by an engine failure at speed on the highway.
    - jsjohnst 9y ago
      Actually, if engines fail at altitude there's much lower risk than you'd think. Even in the case where the damn engines fall off the plane (yes, this really did happen), there's surprisingly few if any fatalities. Complete engine failure is mostly risky in two situations, over water and low altitude. Ask Sully about having both happen at once and still no deaths! (Edit to add sources) Commercial flights with engine failures in the past 30 years w/o fatalities: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_9 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_9 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transat_Flight_236 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transat_Flight_236 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_855 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_855 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapag-Lloyd_Flight_3378 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapag-Lloyd_Flight_3378 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_Airlines_Flight_751 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_Airlines_Flight... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549 Commercial flights with engine failures and fatalities (one fatality, a flight attendant): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garuda_Indonesia_Flight_421 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garuda_Indonesia_Flight_421
- benchaney 9y ago
  > If your car engine stops running, you're not going to fall to your death for lack of speed If your airplane engine stops working you're not going to be able to get off the ground in the first place.

That assumes that cars break while not in use. Tires can pop while being driven, for example. There are plenty of devastating and life-taking accidents that come from car failures.

delinka 9y ago

And plenty of in-use car failures do not take lives. Tires popping during a drive don't often result in death of the occupants of the troubled car nor those around it. If your car engine stops running, you're not going to fall to your death for lack of speed. If your jet engines all stop, the chance that death will result is quite a bit higher.

mitochondrion 9y ago
"If your car engine stops running, you're not going to fall to your death for lack of speed." You know, to even get your private pilot's license, you have to pass a simulated engine-out. Fixed-wing craft are perfectly capable of gliding without power.
- delinka 9y ago
  Indeed. They're not required to crash with engines out. But on a passenger jet, the odds of crashing and causing deaths from several miles up when the engines fail is tremendously higher than death being caused by an engine failure at speed on the highway.
  - jsjohnst 9y ago
    Actually, if engines fail at altitude there's much lower risk than you'd think. Even in the case where the damn engines fall off the plane (yes, this really did happen), there's surprisingly few if any fatalities. Complete engine failure is mostly risky in two situations, over water and low altitude. Ask Sully about having both happen at once and still no deaths! (Edit to add sources) Commercial flights with engine failures in the past 30 years w/o fatalities: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_9 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_9 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transat_Flight_236 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transat_Flight_236 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_855 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_855 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapag-Lloyd_Flight_3378 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapag-Lloyd_Flight_3378 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_Airlines_Flight_751 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_Airlines_Flight... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549 Commercial flights with engine failures and fatalities (one fatality, a flight attendant): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garuda_Indonesia_Flight_421 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garuda_Indonesia_Flight_421
benchaney 9y ago
> If your car engine stops running, you're not going to fall to your death for lack of speed If your airplane engine stops working you're not going to be able to get off the ground in the first place.