Originally Posted by
Airbum
I really like GA and am still active flying small planes. However do not kid yourself thinking you will be safer flying then driving.
I was just thinking about from a purely statistical (empirical) standpoint. Here's a sobering quote:
Road Crash Statistics. Nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year, on average 3,287 deaths a day. An additional 20-50 million are injured or disabled. More than half of all road traffic deaths occur among young adults ages 15-44.
Source:
Road Crash Statistics
Depends on whether we are talking Absolute Value or Relative Value. But, I get your point. When you combine risk factors the numbers are nowhere near comparable. Driving starts to look like statistical Russian Roulette. But, again, I get your point for the smaller sample size relative references. I had not referenced the differential between mere Chance and Probability. So, maybe I should have said that the Probability drops significantly.
FWIW, someone just tried to kill me today on the road. Just made a lane change directly out in front of me with less than 2 feet to spare and kept coming - never bothered looking. If I did not have ample room on the left shoulder to use as a buffer to that move, there would have been a collision because there was no room or time for me to brake hard enough to avoid.
TCAS for all drivers. I'm just kidding.
However, I do favor more collision avoidance automotive technology in vehicles going forward. And, I favor a real Driver's Test at the DMV that tests for skill and knowledge, as opposed to the mere reference sample IQ test that it is today in most states. Watching people, while standing in line for an hour, take a driver's test 4 times before passing is disheartening to say the least, because you know that you now have to share the road with that driver. Very scary stuff.