Post 11 — July 17, 2014
Today is not Wednesday. In fact, today is Thursday. And I am posting a special Thursday post in response to something that I couldn’t wait a whole week to write.
Today, July 17, 2014, Malaysian Airlines flight 17 crashed in Eastern Ukraine after it was hit with a missile launched from the ground. It was a very tragic event, my sympathies goes to the families and loved ones of the passengers.
However, I do have a beef with how the public reacts to news like this. Within minutes of the news breaking, my news-feed on Facebook was filled with posts about the crash, and statements like “I’m worried about my flight home”, or “I’m never taking that airline ever”, or even “This is why I don’t fly”. Well, I’m here to tell you that such statements are thoroughly unfounded.
Why is there such angst and fear of flying in the public? Why is it such a big deal when a plane crashes? 295 people died today in an aviation incident, but why does it spur so much public reaction? In any given year, around 33000 people die in motor vehicle accidents in the United States alone. Why do these people not get the same coverage?
Let’s crunch some numbers. Averaged out, car deaths amount to 3.1 deaths per billion kilometers, while there are only 0.05 deaths per billion kilometers worldwide from commercial aviation. So by that same logic, if learning about this crash today caused you to worry and fear flying, this post should make you terrified of ever getting into a car. Oh, and by the way, pedestrian deaths are 54.2 deaths per billion kilometers. Maybe you should just stay home.
Here are some fun statistics:
Since the start of 2013, there has been 16 major aviation accidents and incidents involving commercial aviation. 12 in 2013, and 4 so far this year. This number is significantly smaller than previous years, as each crash makes flying safer.
SCAT Airlines 760 (21 deaths)
South Airlines 8971 (5 deaths)
Lion Air 904 (0 deaths)
National Airlines 102 (7 deaths)
Nepal Airlines 555 (0 deaths)
Asiana Airlines 214 (3 deaths)
Rediske Air (10 deaths)
UPS Airlines 1354 (2 deaths)
Associated Aviation 361 (15 deaths)
Lao Airlines 301 (49 deaths)
Tatarstan Airlines 363 (50 deaths)
LAM Mozambique Airlines 470 (33 deaths)
Nepal Airways 183 (18 deaths)
Ethiopian Airlines 702 (0 deaths)
Malaysia Airlines 370 (239 deaths)
Malaysia Airlines 17 (295 deaths)
That’s a total of 185 deaths in 2013 and 552 so far this year. A far cry from 33000. I would also like to point out that when Asiana Airlines flight 214 landed short of the runway and slammed into the seawall at San Francisco International Airport, only 3 of the 307 people aboard were killed. This is a testament to the engineering and safety of modern aviation. So remember, next time you fly, put on your seat belt, take off your headsets, and remember to always put your own mask on before assisting others.
Yes I agree today’s event was a horrible thing to have happen, but your reaction shouldn’t be to fear flying. Because next time you see a bad car accident on the news, will you be posting “That’s why I don’t drive”?
Remember, per meters traveled, walking is the second deadliest form of transportation, just second to space shuttles.