The most dangerous way to travel. The safest form of transport. Statistics and odds

Statistics and public opinion on this issue vary greatly. One thing is certain: 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), airplanes ranked last in terms of safety, and railway transport came in first place.

70% of respondents give it a positive assessment, and only 15% consider it “definitely dangerous”. Aviation received negative reviews. 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 a dangerous method of transportation and only 39% as a safe one. 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 ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization - the UN agency that sets international standards for civil aviation), there is one accident 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 of 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 considered erroneous to believe 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 In the 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 we need to go on a long journey, then everyone thinks about what type of transport to choose. And this is not an idle question, since it is directly related to life safety.

This is exactly what we will talk about in the article from the “” section.

So, what type of transport is the safest, and what do statistics say about this?

Let's look at the three most popular means of transportation: air, rail and road.

Before presenting the statistics, I would like to note that sociological surveys give us an amazing picture. People consider the train to be the safest mode of transport, the second place is given to the car, but, according to the average person, they are the most dangerous means of transportation.

These data clearly demonstrate how strongly ours can prevail over dry numbers and stubborn facts.

What do the statistics say?

An airplane is the safest form of transport.
The train is in second place.
A car is considered the most dangerous form of transport.

Safe transport statistics

Now let's talk about this in more detail. First you need to figure out what principle the statistics use to calculate the safest mode of transport.

There are three methods for calculating this indicator, and scientists consider the most accurate method to be the one that analyzes the ratio of dead people per 100 million miles (that is, 160 million km).

Aviation transport

According to the statistics mentioned above, the plane is the safest mode of transport. 0.6 people die per 100 million miles.

As an example, let us take for analysis data for 2014, when there were 21 plane crashes in the world. A total of 990 people died, of which 11 were passenger planes and the remaining 10 were cargo planes.

In total, 33 million flights took place in 2014. There was only one accident per million flights (the vast majority of which occurred with frequent aircraft rather than regular ones).

Statisticians say that the probability of dying in a plane crash on an ordinary passenger flight is negligible, amounting to 1/8,000,000.

The statisticians are ironic about this: you are more likely to get into an accident when you drive your car to the airport than to get into a plane crash!

Railway transport

The railway provides us with the safest overland method of transportation. According to statistics, the mortality rate from railway accidents is 0.9 passengers per 160 million km.

It is quite possible that even this will seem surprising to you, because we hear about incidents on railways quite rarely.

In fact, the statistics of mortality from railway accidents, in the overwhelming majority, are spoiled by countries such as. They know about safety only by hearsay.

Surely you have come across different ones on the Internet with real photographs from the life of trains in this wonderful country.

Automobile transport

But the most unsafe form of transport is a car. According to statistics, 1.6 people die per 160 million km, that is, a thousand times more than in plane crashes.

Moreover, this does not apply to two-wheeled vehicles (and mopeds). Their numbers are generally depressing: 42 people per 160 million km.

We hope that now you have not just “heard the ringing, but don’t know where it is,” but have become convinced with facts and figures what the safest mode of transport is.

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Given the large number of different vehicles, many specialists and experts, of course, want to know which ones are the safest. Statistics show that the safest mode of transport is an airplane.

Experts divide transport into 2 groups:

By service area:

Public options
Special forces
Private

By environment of use:

Ground - this includes wheeled and rail versions
Underground - metro
Air
Space
Water and underwater
Pipeline

Passengers boarding an airplane often shudder at the thought of taking off and landing. However, official statistics are clear - airliners are quite safe from the point of view of movement.

The calculations are based on the number of victims per 100 million miles. According to the results of such calculations, the mortality rate in plane crashes is 0.6 people. You can die in a plane crash in 1 case in 8 million. If compared with other options traditionally considered safer, then this figure will turn out to be completely ridiculous. Thus, in accidents with mopeds and motorcycles, the statistics is 125 deaths per 1.5 billion km. Cyclists die on the roads in considerable numbers - 35 deaths per 1.5 billion km of travel. Even in the metro, more people die than in air transport - 25 cases per 1.5 billion km.

What ensures the safety of the airliner?

The reliability of aircraft, as experts note, is ensured by a certain number of factors. First of all, each aircraft undergoes a whole range of serious tests before flying. Moreover, it is inspected by both technicians and the captain of the ship, who must be personally confident in the excellent condition of the airliner he is accepting for flight.

Secondly, this is the work of security systems. Today, advanced systems are installed on airplanes, and even in quantities of several, which can duplicate each other. Accordingly, if something happens to one of them, the other will be able to duplicate it. The plane can fly and land even with one faulty engine.

Thirdly, landing tactics change regularly. Previously, pilots practiced landing the plane softly, but now they advise doing it roughly, which improves the grip of the landing gear on the runway.

Is it possible to survive a plane crash?

Many people are afraid of the inability to survive a plane crash. But this is also a myth. Yes, in many cases the plane is destroyed. But the cases when passengers remained alive are quite numerous. This is due to the fact that all aircraft are designed by people who are well versed in aerodynamics and gravity. And it’s not so easy for an airplane to fall from a height of 10,000 km.

In the USA, for example, 500 aviation incidents occurred in 20 years. The number of deaths in these is about 5% of the total number of passengers on board the liner. Even in situations like these, when planes crash and break in half, passengers have a chance of surviving.

Choosing a safe place on the plane

Against the backdrop of determining the safety of a particular vehicle, many are, of course, interested in whether it is possible to find safe seats on board the aircraft. Back in 2007, statistics were published that clearly identified the quietest seats on the plane.

To compile statistics, the researchers took data published by the National Security Council of America over 30 years. They took as a basis the dependence of the number of victims on the place where the passengers were located. It turned out that 70% of the crash survivors were located in the section behind the edge of the aircraft's wing. Also, those sitting above the wing have a chance to survive in half the cases.

The part of the plane closer to the tail is in a more advantageous position due to the fact that when it falls, the plane mainly falls with its nose. This means that those sitting behind have a greater chance of salvation.

Statistics of the safest planes

Airbus A340 - a total of 340 of these models were produced, which totaled 13.5 million flight hours, 5 accidents were recorded in which there were no casualties
Airbus A330 - about 600 copies produced. The planes flew 14 million flight hours, and during this time only 1 accident occurred. A total of 8 examples were lost, killing 346 people.
Boeing 747 – in aircraft of this brand there was 1 accident per 17.5 million flights. There are 941 vessels in operation. Over the years of use of such liners, 941 ships were lost, 51 were lost due to accidents in which 3,732 people died
Boeing 737 – since 1997 there have been 3 tragedies

The safest aircraft at the moment is considered to be the Boeing 777. There are 748 copies in the world. Over the years, this model has flown 20 million hours. During this time, 3 people died in two incidents. Only one ship was lost during this time.

So you shouldn’t be afraid of airplanes because of the high accident rate. Moreover, the crew also undergoes special training, has the necessary skills and is not very eager to die. In addition, an airplane is an opportunity to get to your destination quickly and completely safely.

Road deaths are one of the main problems of the modern world. Many people wonder what kind of transport is considered reliable. And opinions differ even among those involved in professional statistics and evaluation.

Firstly, to construct statistics, researchers do not agree on what criteria to use. For example, if we take as a basis the distance traveled and the number of people killed, then spaceships would be a reliable mode of transport. In the entire history of interplanetary flights, there have been 3 fatal accidents. It is difficult to calculate the kilometers of the path they traveled, they are so colossal.

Secondly, objective indicators are needed. As for air, sea and rail transport, it is easy to take into account mortality data. And if he talks about passenger transport, then he will have to operate with approximate information. And even more so, we can’t talk about exact mileage.

Fear of flying affects 30% of the world's population. Naturally, if you give statistical data, then the “chance” of crashing in air transport is thousands of times less than in a minibus. Phobias and fears clearly show how people's emotions prevail over the real state of things. According to a sociological survey, the train is considered the most reliable transport, with the car in second place. But the plane is considered unsafe. Mortality statistics say the opposite.

Rating of safe modes of transport

This list is compiled from the latest data for 2018. For the assessment, information from the National Union of Insurers was used, as well as information from Rosstat.

The safest form of transport. Tragedies in the air claim a large number of lives, which is why people have alarming opinions. In addition, the interviewed aerophobes confirm that the main fear is related to the fact that in the event of a disaster, the chance of survival will be zero.

Are you afraid to fly?

Yes, I'm afraidThere is nothing wrong

Cars and buses are not scary for a person, because he encounters this kind of movement every day. This is actually something of a myth. Airplanes are designed by professionals, so just to fall from a height of ten thousand kilometers requires a lot of “work.”

Interesting!

According to statistics from the United States, 500 accidents have occurred over the past 20 years. Only 5% of people who were present during the accident did not survive.

If we analyze serious shipwrecks, then 50% of passengers survive. In numbers, the “chance” of getting into a disaster and dying is 1:11000000. If we compare the risk of death from a lightning strike, it is 17 times higher than death from an airplane crash.

Second place in the ranking was taken by a leisurely tram. According to 2018 statistics, per one million people who used public transport services, 0.04 were injured. The tram moves at low speed, does not encounter traffic jams, and, notably, is environmentally friendly.

Unfortunately, tram service has decreased by 35% over the past year. Small towns with local budgets cannot fully provide and maintain power lines. Due to the increase in electricity tariffs, prices for travel tickets are also rising. People are gradually switching to other modes of transport. One of the safest land methods of transportation is slowly being forced out of cities.

Trolleybus

The specificity of a trolleybus is that it does not move at high speed. And also in large volume and mass. If an accident occurs, the colliding vehicle will suffer more. Trolleybus passengers will receive a maximum of bruises and contusions. Of course, we cannot ignore collisions with trucks, where deaths can also occur. According to NSS statistics, per 1 million passengers using trolleybus services, 0.09 people were injured;

According to a public survey, the train is considered the safest mode of transport. Why is that? For every 1 million passengers, 0.17 people are injured. It is worth noting that we are talking about world statistics, and not only about long-distance intercity trains, but also about commuter trains.

As for Russia, in 2018 there were seven accidents on the railway, 1 person died. Despite the duration of transportation, more and more people are choosing the train, neglecting air transport. Experts attribute this to both aerophobia and budget prices. African countries spoil global statistics because they have a very specific concept of safety precautions.

Associated with it is conflicting information coming from sociological surveys. Some are afraid of open water, others cannot swim at all and for them being in the middle of a large body of water causes stress.

Statistical information reveals several causes of tragedies on the water:

Fires due to faulty electrical wiring;
Accidents related to water;
Failure to comply with safety regulations on board.

Interesting!

According to statistics, there are 2.3 accidents per 1 million passengers. In Russia, the situation with the domestic fleet is deplorable. Many ships and boats have crossed the 40-year mark.

Unsafe transport

If we talk about the specifics of this rating, the bus is no longer considered safe. Thus, per 1 million passengers in 2018, 2.84 people were injured. Intercity flights are unreliable compared to domestic ones. This is explained simply. Firstly, on the highway the bus develops high speed.

But due to its overall dimensions, the ability to maneuver in a dangerous situation is many times lower than that of a passenger car. Secondly, long-term transportation, especially at night, involves the human factor. The banal “fell asleep at the wheel” is heard more and more often. Until now, despite the legislation, few passengers wear a seat belt. This leads to major accidents and numerous casualties.

If we talk about 2018, more than 600 people died on intercity bus routes, and almost 14 thousand were injured.

Route taxis

It’s worth mentioning right away that it is impossible to build statistics on the number of passengers, since such data is not recorded anywhere.

The high incidence of injuries in minibuses is associated with:

With no devices to be held;
Professional “burnout” of drivers who spend most of their lives behind the wheel;
Insufficient concentration behind the road due to the need to accept payments from passengers;
Low quality road surface.

Not every air transport is safe. Especially when it comes to private helicopter transportation. The vulnerability of the structure, the unprofessionalism of the captain, a sharp deterioration in weather conditions - all these factors directly indicate that the helicopter poses a direct danger in terms of mortality. So, for every 1 million passengers, there are 10 deaths. A special category are flights to hard-to-reach places where it is impossible to reach by alternative transport. An unequipped helicopter landing site often leads to crashes;

Almost every family has this dangerous type of transport. And this causes the consistently alarming situation on the roads both in megacities and small towns. Complex statistical calculations say that 6 people die per 1.6 billion kilometers. The reasons that lead to such disastrous results can be listed for a long time. Of course, most of them are related to the human factor.

Banal non-compliance with traffic rules, drinking alcohol while driving are popular ones. One cannot help but mention the bad roads and the unpreparedness of public utilities for climatic events. And of course, the quality of cars, especially in Russia, leaves much to be desired. The listed factors indicate that road transport is unlikely to become more reliable in the coming years, especially in Russia;

Motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles

There are terrible statistics for this type of transport - more than 200 deaths over 1.6 billion kilometers traveled. Is it worth emphasizing that a two-wheeled vehicle is especially vulnerable and any accident ends in, at a minimum, injury. Some drivers go against the requirement to wear protective gear. Although when falling, having a helmet saved many lives. High speed motorcycles result in death in 90% of collisions.

Finally

To summarize, no type of transport can be called completely reliable. Even in the case of space flights, there are recorded deaths. But often the cause of accidents is the person himself. Failure to comply with traffic rules, safety regulations, alcohol consumption, drunk driving - these factors are paramount. The deterioration of the situation on the roads is also associated with the fact that the number of car owners increases every year. Congestion on roads and highways entails an increased accident risk.

Video on topic

If you are planning a trip and want to find out what is the safest mode of transport, the statistics will speak for themselves. Many people are afraid to fly by plane and try to choose a car when traveling. But still, let's look back at the world statistics:
What is the safest mode of transport in the world?
10th place. Motorcycle (moped scooter)
125 deaths per 1.5 billion km.
9th place. Bike
35 deaths per 1.5 billion km.
8th place. Metro
25 deaths per 1.5 billion km.
7th place. Water passenger transport (ship, yacht, steamship, etc.)
20 deaths per 1.5 billion km.
6th place. Spaceship. (don't ask how he got into this statistic)
At 1.5 billion km. accounts for 7 deaths.
5th place. Minibuses.
5 deaths per 1.5 billion km.
4th place. Automobile
4 deaths per 1.5 billion km.
3rd place. Bus
One human life per 1.5 billion km.
2nd place. Train
0.2 deaths per 1500000000 km. ways.
1 place. Airplane
The probability of dying is 1:8000000.
The safest mode of transport statistics in Russia
In Russia the rating is somewhat different. Rail transport is considered the first place in terms of safety in Russia, and airplanes are in second. Third place goes to passenger cars.
Why is an airplane the safest form of transport?
Every day we read in the newspapers about accidents on the roads. Most often, the drivers themselves are to blame for this. It's sad, but we don't think about the total number of victims. After all, in a plane crash, 200, 300, 400 people die immediately, and in a car accident, 2-3 people die.
But if you find out that about 100 people die on the roads in Russia every day? Daily! How often do plane crashes happen?
It seems to us that passengers have no chance of survival in a plane crash. But this is not entirely true. Not all aircraft failures and pilot errors result in the death of passengers. History is full of miraculous rescues in plane crashes, as well as stupid deaths on the road.

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