- observes_depths@aussie.zoneEnglish8 days
Imagine if about 5% of drivers stopped driving because of 1 car crash. That would rile up the auto and oil industries.
- schipelblorp@sh.itjust.worksEnglish9 days
It is kind of comical how every airplane accident is thoroughly investigated and systemic changes immediately proposed and implemented, while mothers of dead children have to petition for a stop sign. And I don’t mean airliners, I mean people in their little 2-4 seater Cessnas who took off when it was clear and couldn’t find the runway when the weather changed.
Then I remember that everyone in those little planes are really rich and it all makes sense.
- Neverclear@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish9 days
Could be related to the fact that life insurance companies typically pay out like 4x for common carrier deaths (e.g. planes, buses, trains, roller coasters)
- 9 days
I think the illusion of control is a factor. People largely feel in control of their own fate behind the wheel, whereas on a plane you must completely surrender control and trust others to be competent.
- tazeycrazy@feddit.ukEnglish8 days
I also think most people assume a plane crash will always be a deadly event whereas a car crash is a minor inconvenience that is sometimes fatal.
- 0x0@lemmy.zipEnglish8 days
a plane crash will always be a deadly event
Tends to be in the 90% deadly range…
- TheRealKuni@piefed.socialEnglish9 days
Organizations like the NHTSA actually do study car accidents and safety. There’s a problem of scale though. There are so many more car accidents than plane crashes that studying them thoroughly in an individual manner becomes impossible.
But investigations do happen, especially when trends evolve. Hence all the various improvements to car safety over the decades. There’s been a significant reduction in automobile related casualties per distance driven over the history of the technology. Think things like crumple zones and seatbelts, and more recently automatic braking.
- 8 days
Yet deaths are up, especially for pedestrians and cyclists. Per distance driven is the wrong metric anyway since more highway miles makes the system appear safer than it actually is. Plus automakers and regulators prioritize occupant safety, not actual absolute safety. And traffic “engineers” optimize travel time while ignoring things like induced demand. The regulators (US focus) are an absolute joke whem it comes to safety, as the multitude of gigantic pickup trucks and SUVs and the dogshit infrastructure clearly show.
- infinitesunrise@slrpnk.netEnglish9 days
Specifically as a result of intense, continuous regulation and oversight. it falls apart fast without that. That’s the whole subtext of the meme. If you needed 10,000 training hours, were subject to regular drug and mental health testing, required to do continuous maintenance after every drive by a trained support crew, and had to submit a trip plan to a federal authority before every time you got behind the wheel I’m fairly certain cars would have a plane-like safety record too.
- Omgpwnies@lemmy.worldEnglish9 days
Cars are closer to general aviation than commercial though, and GA planes crash all the damn time because of pilots doing stupid things or not maintaining their equipment.
An airliner would be closer to maybe a coach bus where the driver does go through additional training and scrutiny and the equipment is maintained by a specialized crew. Coach buses have a much lower fatality rate than passenger cars.
- infinitesunrise@slrpnk.netEnglish8 days
Or rather if cars were subject to FAA-like regulation, most automotive car travel would be bus travel. And a few rich idiots could take their own lives in their hands in their personal
CessnasCivics.
