Which is safer: plane or train? The most dangerous types of transport

Are you afraid to fly, preferring a car or a train? Completely in vain. Today we will determine the safest mode of transport based on dry statistics, which, as it turns out, have little to do with our fears.

It’s not for nothing that we started with fears, because they clearly show to what extent our emotions and speculation can prevail over facts and common sense. It is no coincidence that absolutely all sociological surveys give approximately the same results. People consider the train to be the safest mode of transport, the car comes in second place, and the most dangerous, of course, is the plane. But it gives slightly different results.

There are several methods for calculating mortality in the world. different types transport. The most accurate and common is the ratio of deaths per segment of the distance traveled. The starting point is considered to be 100 million miles (160 million kilometers).

True, based on these statistics, the safest mode of transport is space transport. After all, in its entire history, only three accidents occurred, and colossal distances were covered. However, space tourism is a prospect, albeit a near future, so we will look at more common means of transportation.

Especially for you: airplane is the safest mode of transport, statistics confirm this 100%. There are 0.6 deaths per 100 million miles. If we take 2014 as an example, there were 21 plane crashes worldwide. Of these, 10 are cargo ships, 11 are passenger ships. A total of 990 people died. This is less than the number of cyclists who died, and even less than the number of people who died in a year at the hands of donkeys.

In total, about 33 million flights were made during the year. On average, there is one accident per 1 million flights. It should be noted that most of them are on small private jets.

Probability of dying in an ordinary accident passenger flight extremely small, 1/8,000,000. Even flying every day, it will take 21 millennia to get to that one ill-fated flight which will crash.

The myth that there is no chance of survival in a plane crash also has little to do with reality. Aircraft are designed by people who know first-hand about aerodynamics and gravity. Therefore, in order to hit the ground with a bang from a height of 10,000 km, you need to try hard.

Let's turn again to statistics. Over the past 20-plus years, there have been approximately 500 aircraft accidents in the United States. The number of deaths in them was only 5% of the passengers on board at the time of the accident. Even if we ignore minor incidents and analyze only serious disasters with impacts on the ground, the breaking of the aircraft body and fires, the number of survivors in them is approximately 50%.

Railway transport

Statistically, this is the safest type ground transport. The mortality rate from train accidents is 0.9 passengers per 160 million km. It sounds incredible, considering the speed at which ultra-modern trains travel. However, you can't argue with the numbers. At the same time, global statistics are largely spoiled by countries such as, where the concept of safety has a very specific meaning.

Automobile transport

For every 160 million km traveled, 1.6 people die in road accidents. According to these statistics, a car can easily be considered the most dangerous type of transport. Every year, about 1.2 million people die on the world's roads, which is a thousand times more than in plane crashes. Thus, you are more likely to get into an accident on the way to the airport than to die on the plane itself.

Moreover, these figures apply only to four-wheeled vehicles. If we talk about motorcycles and mopeds, then the mortality rate there is many times higher: 42 people per 160 million km.

Crash Landings: a video showing that even the most difficult situations have a way out.

Introduce modern life impossible without transport. But once upon a time he was not there! Just think, the first wheeled cart appeared in Mesopotamia in 3500 BC! The need to carry heavy loads forced man to use animal strength. Then he invented a boat, a sail, and built the first ship. The invention of the engine gave new impetus to further development transport and the emergence of its new types. Transport has undergone a long process of development and further improvement since those ancient times. And now in the 21st century, life without transport is not only difficult, for many it is almost impossible. Society is developing, the modern rhythm of life requires increased activity from a person, so the need to travel long distances increases.

Nowadays, being in another country or even another continent within a few hours is no longer a problem. Humanity has achieved amazing success in the development of transport. To make it easier for people to move around, the following were invented:

Water transport.
Air.
Ground.

Now people have cars, trains, planes, helicopters, ships, yachts, motorcycles, ATVs, buses, and trams in their service. The list goes on. Moreover, new types are emerging, for example, the electric car. Progress cannot be stopped.

With the advent of such a variety of means of transportation, the problem of covering long distances was solved. However, another question has arisen that concerns everyone without exception, which type of transport is the safest. The safety criterion when choosing a particular means of transportation is perhaps the most important.

Surely everyone has thought at least once about what is safer to drive. There are a lot of misconceptions and erroneous conclusions. For example, some people think that management own car- This is the most reliable way of transportation. This is argued by the fact that following traffic rules and being attentive on the road is the key to safety. However, we should not forget that there are many unscrupulous drivers on the road, and some do not even know the traffic rules. Sad but true. Only one thing is clear: there is no absolutely safe form of transport. However, humanity will never be able to completely abandon transport. But do not despair and go to extremes, limiting yourself on trips and long journeys. Everything is not as sad as it might seem.

To determine the safest mode of transport, you need to look at statistics. Interestingly, according to research, air transport is the safest. This fact causes surprise and distrust among most people. This is partly due to the large size of the aircraft themselves. In the event of a plane crash, a large number of people die, and the scale of the tragedy seems enormous. However, in reality this is not at all the case. The organization of flights is approached with great responsibility and caution. There is always pre-screening at airports. Airplanes must undergo a technical inspection (before each flight!). If you analyze the statistical indicators for the year, you can see that many more people die in car accidents. In Russia, more than 35 thousand people die within one year. The ratio of fatalities in plane crashes and car accidents is 1:1000.

Airplanes are becoming safer. By technical faults accidents (fortunately!) are happening less and less. In crowded cities where the roads are congested, the likelihood of getting into an accident increases. However, many (almost 85% of the population) continue to think that airplanes are more dangerous. Fear of flying leads to the development of aerophobia. It is difficult to fight it, and it is almost impossible to convince a person that an airplane is the safest means. However, the facts indicate the opposite. More people die on the roads in 4 days than in 10 years of airplane flights.

The Boeing 737 is considered one of the most reliable and safe aircraft. If we look at the average frequency of flights, we can say that every second there are about 1,250 Boeing aircraft in the air. The accident rate is as follows: for every two million flights (possibly) 1 aircraft. Indeed, reliability is high! Moreover, the chances of surviving a plane crash are much greater than any other accident. This is confirmed by studies conducted in the USA: out of 53,487 people, 51,207 survived as a result of plane crashes. In the event of splashdown, the chances of survival increase by 50%. The next safest means of transport after the plane are water transport and railway.

All data and facts indicate that the safest is still an airplane. You should not be afraid of flying and refuse to fly, thereby depriving yourself of the opportunity to see new countries, experience the beauty of the world and broaden your horizons. Experienced pilots and crews do everything to ensure flight safety.

Statistics and public opinion on this issue vary greatly. One thing is for sure: There are no absolutely safe modes of transport. Nevertheless, many passengers’ fears about using this or that type of transport are unfounded.

According to a survey conducted in 2006 by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM), aircraft in terms of safety level were placed at last place, A railway transport came in first place.

70% of respondents give it a positive assessment, and only 15% consider it “definitely dangerous”. Negative reviews received aviation. 84% of respondents believe that such travel is dangerous, and 33% believe that it is very dangerous. Water transport had similar assessments: 44% perceive it as dangerous way movement and only 39% - as safe. And the most popular type of transport - automobile - is assessed ambiguously: 48% consider it safe, 50% consider it dangerous.

Statistics say the opposite. Airplane is considered the safest, followed by water and rail transport.. But cars are considered the most dangerous means of transportation. The data is calculated based on the number of victims when using a particular type of transport.

We feel most secure in. But according to statistics, the number of accidents is much higher than in. Usually they are not so widespread and receive less public attention.

According to calculations by ICAO (International Organization civil aviation- the UN agency that sets international standards for civil aviation), there is one disaster per million flights, which cannot be said about car and other accidents. But any plane crash, even of the smallest aircraft, immediately attracts media attention. This contributes to the formation of a negative opinion about aviation as a very dangerous form of transportation.

However, investigations into plane crashes indicate that they occur due to a combination of rare circumstances, the possibility of which is minimal (air crash statistics).

The probability that a passenger boarding a plane will die in a plane crash is approximately 1/8,000,000. If a passenger boarded a random flight every day, it would take him 21,000 years to die.

It is also a mistaken belief that in the event of a plane crash the chances of survival are minimal. According to the results of an analysis of 568 aviation accidents that occurred in USA from 1983 to 2000, fatalities account for only 5% of total passengers on board. According to these statistics, of the 53,487 people involved in plane crashes, 51,207 survived. As a result of a more detailed study of 26 serious accidents, accompanied by strong impacts of the liners on the ground, their breaking into pieces and fires, it turned out that approximately 50% of the people on board were saved in these disasters (how to survive a plane crash).

The likelihood of survival of the crew of passengers and pilots increases if the aircraft makes an emergency splashdown, even if it is not designed for such measures. Experts say splashdown increases the chances of human survival by 50%.

Compared to the statistics of plane crashes, the statistics of road accidents does not look very rosy. Only in Russian Federation in 2009 there were 203,603 road accidents, as a result of which 26,084 people were killed and 257,034 were injured.

Of course, if we take the number of kilometers traveled as a basis, then The safest mode of transport can be safely considered space travel. In the entire history of development, only 3 spacecraft did not reach the ground (2 for the Americans and 1 for us). By the way, space tourism, despite its cost, is becoming increasingly popular, and the number of people wishing to visit space is constantly growing.

When choosing how to get from point A to point B, we take into account 2 factors - speed and safety. Long trips narrow down the choice vehicle. Today we will discuss the degree of danger popular types transport.

Public opinion

"Which one is the most safe transport? – this was the question asked by VTsIOM sociologists. Monitoring was carried out for 3 years. Throughout this time, the opinion of Russians has remained virtually unchanged. Considered safe:

Metro – 69%;
bus and tram – 68%;
trains – 51%;
cars -48%;
trolleybus – 40%;
ferries – 38%.

It is interesting to see how people's attitudes towards air travel have changed. In 2011, only 22% of respondents named the plane as the safest mode of transport. The following year the number increased to 33%, and in 2013 it fell to 16%.

The director of the center, V. Fedorov, notes that information influences the indicators. Major plane crashes 2013 caused a drop in citizens' trust in aircraft.

Statistics

Official data differs from the position of ordinary Russians. First, let's find out how the mortality rate is determined on different means of transportation.

There are several methods. The most accurate and widespread calculation is the number of deaths per 100 million km or 160 million miles.

Each transport group has the most dangerous species cars, motorcycles, etc. But the average version “as a whole” is taken. American statistical bureau DERT in 2000. This is how the overall mortality rate was calculated:

Airplanes – 0.5;
buses – 0.4;
trains – 0.6;
minibuses – 1.2;
water transport – 2.6;
cars – 3.1;
bicycles – 44.6;
on foot – 54.2;
motorcycle - 108.9.

Based on the flight coefficient of 0.5, a person needs to fly 200 million km before an accident occurs (according to statistics!). According to statistics, the safest mode of transport is an airplane. It is followed by rail and water transport. In order not to be unfounded, I will take the latest reports as a basis.

Aviation-safety.net has been tracking aviation accidents since 1996. From June 1 to November 1, 2017, the world crashed or committed emergency landing 117 aircraft, 279 people died.

In the first five months of this year, in Russia alone, 5,770 people died as a result of road accidents and another 71,461 were injured. Even the safest cars are unable to reduce this number.

According to regnum.ru, over 5 months, trains had the worst results: 41 people died, 172 were injured.

Airplanes take off every 3 seconds. Therefore, the figures are quite comparable and give a general idea of the number of victims over the same period of time. Every year from the crash air transport about 1000 people die, railway- up to two thousand.

Aviation

A car cannot be called the safest means of transportation. In addition, the idea that it is impossible to survive a plane crash is also wrong. If you look at the incident registration resource table, you can see that in most cases there were no casualties. For every 500 disasters in the United States over 20 years, there were 5% of fatalities.

If we take only major crashes from the total, the mortality rate will be about 50%.

In 2007 Magazine Popular Mechanics named the safest seats on the plane. Journalists analyzed data from the US National Security Council for 30 years. They drew attention to the dependence of the number of victims on location.

The number of aircraft survivors as a result of accidents, depending on the landing site

Almost 70% of the survivors remain in the section beyond the edge of the aircraft's wing. 56% of those sitting above the wing survive. The main impact of a collision with the ground falls on the nose of the liner, so the tail is relatively safe.

There are also statistics on the safest planes. Here are the top five:

Airbus A340 - 341 aircraft of this type were produced over 24 years. Over 13.5 million flight hours, 5 accidents were recorded and not a single casualty was reported;
Airbus A330 – 577 copies. 1 incident per 14 million flight hours. A total of 8 units lost, 346 deaths;
Boeing 747 – 1 accident in 17.5 million flights. There are 941 ships in operation, 51 were lost as a result of accidents, 3,732 people died.
Boeing 737 NG – since 1997 3 tragedies occurred (1/17 million hours).

Interesting fact: The Boeing 747 is officially certified to fly without 1 engine (out of 4). Those. in case of failure, he can safely continue the flight to his destination, without emergency landings.

The Boeing 777 is considered the safest aircraft in the world. The total flight time of 748 aircraft since 1995 has amounted to more than 20 million hours. 3 people died in two incidents. One ship has been lost in its entire history. It is important to understand that the rating is compiled without taking into account military operations and terrorist attacks.

Motor transport

Oddly enough, the car we are used to is one of the most dangerous means of transportation, second only to motorcycles. Let's think about our safety in the car. The resource testauto.ru publishes data largest companies conducting crash tests. Based on this rating, we will determine the safest cars.

In the general rating column, Volkswagen Passat, Volvo XC-90, Toyota RAV-4, Toyota Prius, Mercedes E-class and C-class, Lexus GS, Jeep Grand Cherokee receive “excellent”.

Such popular brands as BMV 3 Series, Dodge Caliber, Honda Accord VI, Honda Civic Hathback V, Honda CR-V, Volvo S-70 and S-80 and a number of other cars passed the “good” test.

The main criteria for grading are frontal and side impacts, rollovers, and child safety. You can familiarize yourself with other grades in detail on the specified website, but we have listed all the excellent students. The source calls the Volvo XC90 the safest car in the world with reference to EuroNCAP specialists. The device scored the maximum number of stars.

Interestingly, the rating system of some crash tests includes a “pedestrian” rating. Unfortunately, if you look at the table it becomes clear: these participants traffic practically unprotected. Be careful on the roads!

Safe seats in the cabin

Automobile

Do you know what is the safest place in a car? Most people are convinced that it is behind the driver's seat. If a vehicle is hit on the side, the driver and the passenger sitting behind will have equal chances of survival.

The center of the vehicle is least susceptible to damage in an accident. That's why the middle between the two rear seats is considered the most safe place in car.

Public transport

Least dangerous to occupy central places public transport. The logic is similar: the greatest probability of collision with cars moving on the left. Accordingly, passengers sitting by the window will be under attack.

It is also not recommended to sit in the back four rows. In the first seats, it is better to sit behind the driver's seat, especially if the seats are located with their backs in the direction of travel. The middle of the cabin remains the safest place on the bus.

Other payment options

This article discusses one option for calculating safety, from the point of view of passenger kilometers. The question can be resolved based on the number of deaths per billion hours. Then, buses will come out in first place, and planes will come down to third. If we take a billion trips as a basis, trains will become the leader, air travel will take seventh place.

All methods have advantages and disadvantages. Statisticians use various algorithms. It’s enough for us to know: it’s safer to travel over short distances by land, and over long distances – by air. Well, the safest transport is a spaceship. He is beyond competition in any case. In the entire history of space exploration, 18 people have died.

We introduced you to transport safety calculation systems and introduced you to the course of sociological surveys. Now, the floor is yours. Which means of transportation is preferable for you? We are waiting for your comments!

An airplane is the safest form of transport on Earth; even cars and trains are significantly inferior in safety to airplanes. Despite this, with each new disaster there are more and more aerophobes. Many people in the world are afraid of airplanes, mistakenly believing that other modes of transport are much safer. Is it true that there is a high chance of an accident? And can an airplane be called the safest mode of transport? We need to figure it out.

Statistics and odds

To determine that an airplane is the safest mode of transport, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the statistics. On average, seventeen disasters are officially registered per year. It is important to understand that these sad events occurred not only in Russia, but throughout the world. Over the hundred years of the existence of civil aviation, one hundred thousand people have become victims of plane crashes during flights. That's less than the rate of car accidents per year.

It is worth noting: there are no fewer crashes on cargo flights than there are on passenger flights, which is another argument in favor of choosing an airplane. The chance of falling is so small that a person is more likely to die from a lightning strike than from a plane crash. Statistical analysis led to the conclusion that public opinion regarding transport safety is based on fears and superstitions.

Flight safety

It is worth mentioning the positive qualities of flying. This is the fastest mode of transport. We can also say that the safest mode of transport is an airplane. To agree with this statement, all flight histories must be studied. As you can see, the list of plane crashes is small.

Engine failure

Flights - safest view trips. This has been proven for centuries since the beginning of aviation. The plane flies thanks to its wings; during landing, takeoff and flight, its movements are controlled by engines. But what happens if they refuse?

If one engine fails, the passenger will not feel it because the plane can be controlled by the second engine. And even if both break down, the plane will not fall down at a right angle, but will glide in the air for about two hundred kilometers indefinitely.

Turbulence

It is not often that you meet a person who has not encountered turbulence while flying. Everyone describes it as pitching. What is it? Turbulence is when, when liquids or gases accelerate in the external environment, vortices are formed that irritate the external environment.

Many passengers wonder: can turbulence cause a tragedy? This can't happen. The plane is designed in such a way that in order for it to fall due to turbulence, a force is needed that can only be found in the atmosphere of the planet Jupiter.

Pilots try to fly around the turbulence zone, and airplanes can endure incredible shaking, so in terrestrial conditions the chance of falling from turbulence tends to zero. Only once in the history of mankind has an airplane crashed due to turbulence, when the pilot decided to fly over a volcano. Therefore, turbulence is only a comfort issue, not a safety issue.

Flying in bad weather

Pilots are well versed in weather conditions. A certain time before departure, they look at the forecast for the route to avoid getting caught in a storm. If the weather forecast does not comply with safety regulations, the flight is canceled or rescheduled to another day. Before starting their career, pilots undergo many tests on simulators, learning to act decisively and calmly in any situation.

How much does wind shear affect flight?

Wind shear is a sudden change in air movement and/or speed over a short distance in the atmosphere. This is an important factor influencing aircraft during takeoff and landing. It applies not only to airplanes, but also to other types of aircraft.

Wind shear occurs in the lowest layers of the atmosphere (up to one hundred meters in height). Modern aircraft have more mass, which makes them more inert. High inertia does not allow the aircraft to quickly change its speed. Keeping an airplane at this speed while flying through different wind levels results in a change in speed in the air. Because of this, the plane follows a trajectory lower than expected, making the landing dangerous.

What's really dangerous?

Icing is when the outside of an airplane becomes covered in ice. Occurs when flying in the sky with supercooled drops of water. This is very dangerous, since icing worsens the controllability of the aircraft and makes it heavier. The result could be an accident or even a plane crash. Even at the airport, the plane can become icy at sub-zero temperatures. Before the flight, the ship is treated with a special liquid that stops the formation of ice. They douse every external part of the aircraft: from the wings to the stabilizer. In the atmosphere, icing is unlikely, but possible.

Causes

There are three main causes of plane crashes:

Staff error.
Technical difficulites.
Act of terrorism.

Let's consider each of them separately.

Personnel error

It must be understood that personnel error means not only the wrong step of the pilots during the flight, but also the unprofessional work of maintenance and operation specialists, technicians, dispatchers, and operators. After all, it is impossible to predict human actions, and flight is a complex sequence of technical processes that requires strict control.

Most plane crashes are caused by human factor, official statistics speak about this. However, technology is moving forward rapidly. Every year, aviation engineers develop new automatic systems and design new generation aircraft, which reduces the role of humans in flight to a minimum.

Technical difficulites

Bad and cheap equipment can easily fail at any inconvenient moment, but even high-quality automation fails. Equipment failure is a common cause of plane crashes; about a third of crashes happen precisely because of this.

The main causes of operational problems are malfunctions of the on-board computer and navigation systems. It is very difficult to find out the exact cause of these breakdowns. Taking this into account, airlines are purchasing new and safe planes, abandoning outdated models.

Act of terrorism

Since the middle of the last century Act of terrorism have become a major problem affecting flight safety. Most often, terrorists hijack a ship or plant explosives on an airplane. Such disasters, unfortunately, take many lives.

Is it dangerous to fly on airplanes? As you can see, the statistics of falls are low, and their causes are rare situations from which no one on earth is immune.

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