Come Fly With Me
Many drivers make terrible passengers, as they hate their lack of control when someone else is at the wheel. They note a sloppy gear change, or some less-than perfect clutch control and end up making an issue of these small things and causing tension. For most drivers, feeling they’re in control of the vehicle they’re travelling in makes them feel somehow safer. Sometimes, this feeling even translates into other modes of transport, which is why some people are edgy when flying, for example.
On the news recently there was an item on a Polish airline which had just made a crash landing at Warsaw airport. On approach the pilot realised that the landing gear was stuck and after attempting to fix the problem the plane was forced to land on its fuselage. This raises the question, how safe really is flying? What are the statistics?
The bad news is that not all countries and airlines are equal in terms of safety. Whilst North America, Europe and Australasia have excellent safety records, the former Soviet Union and countries in the Pacific have poorer records. Something to bear in mind when surfing for a cheap holiday flight! On the other hand, air travel is getting safer every year. Civil aviation figures state that in 1979 there were three fatal air accidents per one million flights. In 2005 the number was reduced to one fatal accident per two million flights. Safety equipment and close industry audit are responsible for maintaining air safety.
So whilst some still might prefer to travel in a used Chevrolet in Worcestershire than take a long haul flight to America, they can take some comfort from these statistics next time they are in the air.
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