Have you suddenly developed a fear of flying?

By: Lethiwe Mdluli

Flying has always been considered as the safest way of travelling until this fact was questioned because of the recent tragic events surrounding airplanes.

The recent airplane crashes and disappearances without a trace has had people panicking and it has raised questions as to whether flying is really the safest way to get from point A to point B. The 17 July downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine, which killed all 298 people on board and the Air Algerie flight that crashed with 110 passengers has raised a few eyebrows and evoked fears of flying amongst people.

These are not the only incidents that has had people panicking, but also the Malaysia Airline plane MH370 that went missing on March 8 which is still missing. The odds of dying in the air are just 1 in 7,229, but this statistic might need to be revisited since the recent scandals.

Travelling by air is considered safer than walking, cycling, and getting on the bus according to a report by the CDC. A study from the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing found that pedestrians were responsible for 80% of pedestrian-vehicle crashes and cars are still deemed as the most dangerous mode of transport with a fatality rate of 0.61 per 100 million passenger miles. Passenger trains have a fatality rate of 0.06 per 100 million passenger miles.

While buses and trains are often seen as safer travel alternatives, a 2011 report by PolitiFact found that actually air travel was the safest. The odds of dying in the air are just 1 in 7,229. With so many facts and studies done that lead us to the same conclusion, that air travelling is the safest, than why are we facing to many crashes? Tragic plane crashes are often highlighted by the media because they are so devastating, yet extremely rare. Over the past few months the world has experienced the most tragic plane crashes in history.

Most people who were afraid of flying have become more afraid since these crashes. Even people who were not afraid of flying have developed a fear. Unfortunately this does not help in any way at all. It seems like more and more people are resorting to driving. Even though driving is considered more dangerous.