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It has always been and will continue to be more safe than driving to the airport. The fact that something extraordinarily safe is potentially less safe is a to
by psunavy03 2y ago
It has always been and will continue to be more safe than driving to the airport. The fact that something extraordinarily safe is potentially less safe is a topic for discussion, but not at the expense of realizing the relative risks of everything else.
Prior to the midair at DCA, there had not been a fatal (edit) airliner crash in this country since 2009, and there had not been a midair collision involving an airliner since the 1970s. The fact that some people have an irrational fear of flying does not justify that irrational fear dictating policy any more than people who have an irrational fear of clowns wanting them banned.
- iancmceachern 2y agoBut is it as safe today as it was a year ago today?
- psunavy03 2y agoStatistically, yes.
- jjk166 2y agoBased on what data? In 2024 there were 0 domestic airline collisions in 16 million flights, in 2025 there was 1 in 1.3 million.
- bluGill 2y agoWhich is statistically the same number.
- iancmceachern 2y agoThen we are looking at the wrong (meaningless) statistics. The while point of stats is to turn data into meaningful distillatios of trends so that we can act upon them. If plane crash deaths are increasing and its not shown in the stats, then we need better stats no?
- bluGill 2y agoAre you trying to "lie with statistics" or find a truth. Right now there is not data showing things are getting worse - this looks like random rare events. If things are slightly worse is will take a while to figure that out.
- iancmceachern 2y agoHow many crashes do the statistics allow before they start reflecting a different answer to my question?
- kaikai 2y agoWhere are your dates from? According to the Wikipedia page, there have been multiple fatal plane crashes in the US since 2009, including a midair collision in 2019 (although not an airliner). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_accidents_and_incidents_involving_commercial_aircraft_in_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_accidents_and_...
- jgwil2 2y agoThe parent commenter misspoke; they meant there was not a fatal accident involving a commercial airliner from 2009 to 2025. Commercial aviation is much more highly regulated, and much safer, than general aviation.
- kaikai 2y agoNope, sorry, that page describes multiple commercial accidents resulting in fatalities, since 2009. The Asiana crash at SFO had multiple fatalities, and was in 2013. From the Wikipedia page: “This is a list of fatal commercial aviation accidents and incidents in or in the vicinity of the United States or its territories. It comprises a subset of both the list of accidents and incidents involving airliners in the United States and the list of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft. It does not include fatalities due to accidents and incidents solely involving private aircraft or military aircraft.”
- mplanchard 2y agoThe 2009 fact is commercial US airlines, specifically
- sho_hn 2y agoThere are fatal plane crashes in the US every year - in General Aviation (which often may not talk to ATC at all). Important to make the distinction :-)
- psunavy03 2y agoI meant airliner crash.
- almosthere 2y agowhats the current miles driven vs miles flown vs death rates of both? Not taking a side, I'm just curious here.
- johnnyanmac 2y ago> The fact that something extraordinarily safe is potentially less safe is a topic for discussion, but not at the expense of realizing the relative risks of everything else. Given the leadership, I don't trust it to not get less safe, fast. We're not in statistically normal times. I highly doubt it's a coincidence that Trump fires various controllers and less than a week later we get that first midair collision in 16 years. You can talk statistics, but the physics are another magnitude. I get in a really bad wreck and car safety standards may let me walk away without a scratch. No amount of safety can protect against a multi thousand foot droop from freefall.
- gtsop 2y ago> The fact that some people have an irrational fear of flying does not justify that irrational fear dictating policy Go tell that to the casualties. Oh wait, you can't. Which part of them being dead is irrational exactly?