How dangerous is general aviation compared to driving?

Each year, more than 30,000 people die in traffic accidents, compared to the 400 or so who perish in general aviation accidents. Those raw numbers, however, mean little without context — far more people merge onto the highway each day than take off in a Cessna from a runway.

Is flying in a plane safer than driving a car?

In absolute numbers, driving is more dangerous, with more than 5 million accidents compared to 20 accidents in flying. A more direct comparison per 100 million miles pits driving’s 1.27 fatalities and 80 injuries against flying’s lack of deaths and almost no injuries, which again shows air travel to be safer.

Is aviation the safest way to travel?

Is flying that safe? Any certified aircraft dispatcher who has been through rigorous aircraft dispatcher training and tests will tell you, yes, it most certainly is. Flying is the safest way to travel; that’s a platitude that almost everyone is familiar with.

How many general aviation crashes a year?

On average, about 200 people are killed in general aviation accidents every year, the Federal Aviation Administration reports. The report states the most common type of accident is due to loss of control in flight.

Is flying a Cessna safer than a car?

In conclusion, if you want to avoid the most risk when flying, fly commercial. It is statistically safer than driving. Unfortunately, despite your taste for risk, whether you use a motor vehicle or an aircraft, accidents will occur.

What are the odds of surviving a plane crash?

Contrary to movie and media portrayals, it is highly possible to survive a plane crash. According to the most recent report on the subject published by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the passenger survival rate for plane crashes between 1983 and 2000 was 95.7\%.

Which method of travel is safest?

Since you only have a 1 in 9,821 chance of dying from an air and space transport incident, flying is actually one of the safest forms of transportation. The DOT and the National Transportation Safety Board only have preliminary statistics for 2015, but for 2014, they reported 444 aviation-related deaths.

Is it safe to fly in general aviation?

While the safety of U.S. commercial flight has increased in the past decade, this is not true for general aviation. In fact, there are those that argue flying in general aviation small planes are a higher risk of death than if they were to travel by car.

Is flying a small plane safer than driving a car?

For those choosing to fly their Piper or Cessna instead of taking a commercial flight or driving their car to their destination, it’s important that they understand one confirmed research fact: flying a small plane is not any safer than driving a car on the interstate. Flying in a small plane is not the same as flying a commercial aircraft.

How dangerous is private aviation compared to cars?

Breaking out the data per mile puts the accident rate of private aviation at one-sixth the accident rate in automobiles, according to the AOPA. Of course, planes cover far more miles per hour than cars, so this information reveals little about per-trip risk.

Is private air travel safer than commercial flight?

These high-profile disasters highlight the lingering dangers of private air travel. Though general aviation — defined as all domestic civilian flights except scheduled commercial trips — has become safer since the 1970s, it remains much more dangerous than commercial flight.