Loading Page...

Do more people fly or drive?

Personal vehicles endure as the preferred mode of transportation for Americans, with 80 percent of Thanksgiving travelers opting to drive this year, said Jenni Newman, Cars.com editor-in-chief in a press release.



On a global and daily basis, far more people drive than fly. Personal vehicle travel is the primary mode of transportation for billions of people for work, errands, and regional travel. For example, in the United States alone, there are over 2.2 trillion passenger miles traveled in cars and trucks annually, compared to roughly 770 billion miles traveled by air. While the "number of flights" globally is impressive—exceeding 35 million departures per year—the sheer volume of daily car trips dwarfs this figure. However, when looking at long-distance travel (trips over 500 miles), flying becomes the dominant and preferred choice due to time efficiency. Statistically, driving is much more dangerous; you are nearly 1,200 times more likely to be injured or killed in a car than on a scheduled commercial flight per passenger mile. In 2026, as urban congestion grows and high-speed rail expands, the "driving" numbers are seeing slight declines in some European and Asian markets, but globally, the internal combustion engine (and increasingly the EV) remains the most used form of human mobility.

People Also Ask

Recent data shows that Americans are more likely to travel by car than by plane. While the idea of driving might seem like a drag, you could end up having the time of your life. On a road trip, you can save money and avoid the stress of flying.

MORE DETAILS

73 percent of Americans prefer road trips to flying. In fact, a survey of 2,000 people found that between planes, trains, and automobiles, Americans prefer flying the least.

MORE DETAILS

So why does flying feel more dangerous when it's obviously far safer than driving? Part of our fear may stem from the perception that, while plane crashes may be rarer than car accidents, they are more deadly.

MORE DETAILS

Statistics continuously indicate that air travel is significantly safer than road travel. For instance, in 2022, while there were only 158 fatalities from aeroplane crashes globally, there were tragically 20,600 fatalities resulting from road accidents just in the EU.

MORE DETAILS

If you are planning to visit major cities in the UK such as London, York, Edinburgh, Bath, and Liverpool the best way to get around is by train.

MORE DETAILS

Worldwide, the most widely used modes for passenger transport are the Automobile (16,000 bn passenger km), followed by Buses (7,000), Air (2,800), Railways (1,900), and Urban Rail (250).

MORE DETAILS

The survey showed that, in 2022, 44 percent of Americans flew commercially, and almost 90 percent had taken a commercial flight in their lifetime.

MORE DETAILS

The Travel and Tourism Development Index ranked the UK as the fifth-best country for non-leisure travel worldwide in 2021, and the first-best country in Europe.

MORE DETAILS

Report highlights. In 2022, the UK was ranked sixth out of 60 nations. The UK saw ranking improvements across many of the dimensions when compared to 2021; tourism retained sixth place, culture moved back up one place to third and people moved up two places to eighth.

MORE DETAILS

September 24, 2023 A single-engine Beechcraft BE23 crashed in a field near Roger M Dreyer Memorial Airport in Gonzales, Texas, around 7:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, September 24. Only the pilot was on board. The FAA and NTSB will investigate.

MORE DETAILS

It is during takeoff, climb, descent and landing when pilots are much more involved. These may require more concentration than driving. Landing, in particular, is more complex and can be dangerous.

MORE DETAILS

About 40 percent of the general population reports some fear of flying, and 2.5 percent have what is classified as a clinical phobia, one in which a person avoids flying or does so with significant distress. As with other situational phobias, the fear is disproportionate to the danger posed.

MORE DETAILS

So if you only fly on commercial airliners, you're in very safe hands. In the United States, there are 0.07 fatalities per billion passenger miles, which translates like this: If you fly 500 miles every day for a year, you have a fatality risk of one in 85,000. In short, flying is, by far, the safest mode of transit.

MORE DETAILS