Fear of flying is something that affects about one in six people, but a new study shows that it is even more dangerous on solid ground.
Scientists at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University compared the fatal risk of flying with other modes of transportation.
The results showed that, for the same distance traveled, you are 626 times more likely to die in a car or truck than on a commercial airline.
“Public perception of transportation safety is often shaped by the visibility and emotional impact of rare catastrophic events rather than by objective measures of risk,” the researchers explained in their study.
“Commercial aviation accidents, while extremely uncommon, receive disproportionate media attention and can create a persistent impression that air travel is inherently dangerous.
‘In contrast, many more common causes of injury and death – including daily transportation, recreational activities and routine occupations – receive relatively little attention, despite posing significantly higher risks.’
Fear of flying is something that affects around one in six people – but a new study shows it’s actually more dangerous on solid ground (stock image)
In the study, the researchers wanted to understand how safe flying really is.
The team analyzed the fatal risk in US commercial aviation from 2016-2025 and compared it to other modes of transportation, recreational activities, household hazards and occupational hazards.
The results showed that commercial air travel is ‘exceptionally safe’.
The fatal risk in a car or truck was found to be 626 times higher than in an airplane, while traveling by motorcycle was more than 22,000 times riskier.
Even interstate bus travel carries about nine times the risk of commercial air travel.
In addition to transportation, several common recreational activities were found to be riskier than flying.
This includes skiing and snowboarding (73 times higher risk of death), diving (180x), marathon running (202x) and skydiving (422x).
The researchers also looked at the risk of death from various injuries.
The results showed that you are three times more likely to die from a lightning strike than from flying, eight times more likely to die from a dog bite, and 16 times more likely to die in a cataclysmic storm.
“The central conclusion of this analysis is clear: modern American commercial aviation operates at an exceptionally high level of safety,” the researchers said.
‘Measured per kilometer travelled, it is safer than other major modes of transport; measured per trip or per hour of exposure, it is also safer than common recreational activities and daily activities.
‘Its contribution to the annual and lifelong mortality risk is extremely small.
“While no activity is completely risk-free, U.S. commercial aviation represents a mature and highly regulated transportation system in which the level of risk has been reduced to exceptionally low levels.”
