With all the recent headlines about plane crashes, it’s understandable for a person to feel uneasy about flying. A plane landing upside down at the last second in Toronto? The mid-air collision in D.C.? Why does it seem like all of this is happening all of a sudden? Seeing aviation disasters, like these and others in the news, can lead one to the assumption that air travel is generally becoming more dangerous.
Even though the truth is that flying still remains the safest form of transportation. By a wide margin.
The numbers don’t lie
To start off, let’s put things in perspective. The odds of dying in a commercial plane crash are about 1 in 11 million, while the odds of dying in a car accident are roughly 1 in 101. That’s according to aviation safety studies and data from organizations like the National Safety Council. Which is to say: Even when factoring in recent incidents, commercial air travel is still dramatically safer than driving.
To compare the risks of both modes of travel fairly, it’s important to look at fatalities per mile traveled. That’s because people generally rack up tons more time behind the wheel than they do buckling themselves into a plane seat.
Along those lines, the latest available data shows:
- Car travel: 1.37 deaths per 100 million miles.
- Commercial air travel: 0.01 deaths per 100 million miles.
What does that mean? Basically, driving is about 137 times more deadly than flying (per mile traveled).
Why flying is so safe – 10 things to know
A big reason that flying feels more dangerous is media coverage of accidents, plus what you see in your social media feeds. Plane crashes, though rare, are shocking events that dominate the news for days. Meanwhile, car accidents happen daily but receive comparatively little attention. This creates a perception that flying is riskier than it actually is.
Here are 10 points to keep in mind that underscore why flying is safer than you might think it is right now:
- Unlike the drivers of cars, commercial airline pilots are put through thousands of hours of training before they’re allowed to fly passengers.
- Pilots operate under constant supervision, such as via the guidance of air traffic controllers.
- Pilots are required to pass strict licensing exams, simulator tests, and recurring training programs.
- Airlines follow federally mandated maintenance schedules.
- Unlike cars, which depend on you for their maintenance, airplanes are meticulously checked by expert mechanics.
- Modern planes are built with redundant systems, so that backups kick in if one system fails.
- Planes can still function, even if one of its two engines fails.
- Standardization is the norm throughout the aviation industry. This is meant to reduce human error, whereas similar standardization obviously isn’t possible across millions of car drivers.
- There are multiple agencies, including the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) as well as other global agencies, that ensure aircraft safety when flying.
- Even if you flew every day for 1,000 years, your percentage chance of being involved in a fatal plane crash would still be incredibly low — around 3% (based on probability derived from the latest available statistics).
The bottom line
While recent events may be unsettling, the data is clear: Flying is still the safest way to travel. What’s more, advancements in technology and rigorous safety protocols continue to make air travel even safer with each passing year. So the next time you board a plane, remember — you’re in one of the most secure transportation environments in the world.
