3 ms·

Taking a US-centric look: in 2021 there were 42,915 automotive fatalities in the US [0], and the average number of vehicle trips per household is around 1900 [1

Taking a US-centric look: in 2021 there were 42,915 automotive fatalities in the US [0], and the average number of vehicle trips per household is around 1900 [1], and about 124M households in the US. [2] That works out to ~235B trips, putting the death rate at 0.182 per million trips, or roughly equivalent to the per-trip fatal crash rate of the A330. So you're right, an individual plane ride is not "dramatically safer" than the average car trip (if anything it's slightly riskier), but people take far more car trips, so the risk adds up. Many years, NTSB reports ZERO deaths from commercial air travel [3], while vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death—not quite top 10, but close. [0]: https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/early-estimate-2021-traffic-fatalities https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/early-estimate-2021-tra... [1]: https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/fotw-1041-august-6-2018-households-take-fewer-vehicle-trips-2017 https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/fotw-1041-augu... [2]: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/HSD410221 https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/HSD410221 [3]: https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NR20211117.aspx https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NR20211117.as...

janalsncm 3y ago
It should also be noted that you can reduce your individual risk even further than the mean by avoiding the most dangerous behaviors. Don’t be intoxicated, tired, or distracted. And wear a seatbelt. People who drive dangerously are pushing up the average. And not to make this about the argument in the thread, but there’s not a lot you can do on an individual level to prevent airplane fatalities. (The flip side of course is you can be blackout drunk on a flight and still be perfectly safe.)

3 ms·

Taking a US-centric look: in 2021 there were 42,915 automotive fatalities in the US [0], and the average number of vehicle trips per household is around 1900 [1

by turnsout 3y ago

janalsncm 3y ago
It should also be noted that you can reduce your individual risk even further than the mean by avoiding the most dangerous behaviors. Don’t be intoxicated, tired, or distracted. And wear a seatbelt. People who drive dangerously are pushing up the average. And not to make this about the argument in the thread, but there’s not a lot you can do on an individual level to prevent airplane fatalities. (The flip side of course is you can be blackout drunk on a flight and still be perfectly safe.)