Is it safer to fly in a helicopter or drive?

So they wonder: How safe are helicopters? The short answer is that riding in a helicopter is far less safe than flying on a commercial airline or taking an Amtrak train, but significantly safer than riding in a car or truck. Airlines famously are the safest way to travel.



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Driving vs. Flying By the Numbers The overall fatality risk is 0.23% — you would need to fly every day for more than 10,000 years to be in a fatal plane crash. On the other hand, the chances of dying in a car collision are about 1 in 101, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

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Riskier Flights Unlike airplanes, helicopters do not have set flight patterns, runways to take off and land on, and the guidance of a trained air traffic controller. Helicopters are also typically flown into areas that may not be accessible with any other type of aviation machinery.

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Understanding a Helicopter Accident The crash rate for general aircraft is 7.28 crashes per 100,000 hours of flight time. For helicopters, that number is 9.84 per 100,000 hours. That means helicopters have a 35 percent higher risk of crashing compared to airplanes.

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  1. Airplane Safety. Airplanes are by far the safest mode of transportation when the number of transported passengers are measured against personal injuries and fatality totals, even though all plane crashes generally receive some form of media attention. ...
  2. Train Safety. ...
  3. Bus Travel. ...
  4. Boat Travel.


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Never approach or leave a helicopter when its engine and rotors are running down or starting up. Crouch while walking for extra rotor clearance. Secure any loose articles such as hats and ensure your pockets are zipped up. Never reach up or chase after anything that blows away.

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Opt for flying if: You'll spend more time driving than you will at your destination. You enjoy flying and it fits with your budget. You need to get somewhere ASAP and driving isn't fast enough.

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8 Steps to Overcoming Your Fear of Flying
  1. Latch on to triggers that set you off. ...
  2. Step onto the airplane with knowledge. ...
  3. Anticipate your anxiety. ...
  4. Separate fear from danger. ...
  5. Recognize that common sense makes no sense. ...
  6. Smooth over things that go bump in the flight. ...
  7. Educate fellow fliers how to help you. ...
  8. Value each flight.


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Airfare should be less affected by high fuel prices than gas-powered road trips. Driving could still be best over short distances or with a large group. Keep the high cost of renting a car (to drive to your destination or when you arrive after a flight) in mind.

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According to The Points Guy, non-scheduled helicopter flights have a Death Index of 63, meaning helicopter fatalities occur at 63 times the rate that they do on commercial airlines. This is more than three times as high as Amtrak's index, and about 25% higher than mass transit's.

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Passenger vehicles are by far the most dangerous motorized transportation option compared. Over the last 10 years, passenger vehicle death rate per 100,000,000 passenger miles was over 20 times higher than for buses, 17 times higher than for passenger trains, and 595 times higher than for scheduled airlines.

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It may not feel intuitively true, but you're much safer traveling in an airplane than in a motor vehicle. In the United States, there are around 1.13 fatalities per every 100 million vehicle miles traveled, compared to just 0.035 fatalities per every 100 million airplane miles traveled.

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That means helicopters have a 35 percent higher risk of crashing compared to airplanes. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported 121 helicopter accidents in the United States in 2015, of which 17 were fatal. In 2016, 106 helicopter accidents were reported nationwide, with 17 of them involving fatalities.

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