JavaScript Required

Jumpseat Aerospace News requires JavaScript to function. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings to continue.

Flying Safer Than Driving, Despite Perceptions

September 8, 2026

2 min read

Key Takeaways

Commercial airline travel is safer than driving.
Fatality risk is 626 times higher in cars than in commercial airlines.
Even highway bus travel is nine times riskier than flying.
Media coverage and perceived control contribute to risk perception.

Silver membership required Upgrade to Silver to access Key Takeaways.

Upgrade

Strategic Implications

The disparity between perceived and actual risk may indicate a need for more effective risk communication, which could influence traveler behavior and reduce the number of road fatalities. This suggests that efforts to educate the public about the relative safety of air travel may be beneficial, as they could help mitigate the unintended consequences of avoiding flying.

Silver membership required Upgrade to Silver to access Strategic Implications.

Upgrade

What Happened

Why Air Travel Feels Riskier Than It Actually Is

Despite the rarity of commercial airline crashes, many people perceive flying as riskier than driving. However, research from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University indicates that airline travel is significantly safer than driving, with a fatality risk 626 times higher in cars. The study analyzed data from 2016 through 2025 and found that even highway bus travel is nine times riskier than flying. This disparity in risk perception may be attributed to media coverage and the sense of control people feel when driving, as reported by The Conversation.

Source | Originally Published: September 7, 2026

Companies Mentioned