Shotgun 1 #1 June 18, 2003 Does anyone know if there is any statistical information that has been published comparing the dangers of skydiving vs. driving a car? I've always kinda gone along with the "well it's no more dangerous than driving a car" theory, but now that I've stopped to really think about it I would have to say (based solely on my personal experience) that skydiving is actually more dangerous than driving a car... Again this is only based on my personal experience, which could be way off base from average, so I'm just wondering if anyone knows of any "real" information that might prove or disprove the theory??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #2 June 18, 2003 Eeek! It all depends on how you want to look at the data. I can absolutely guarantee that if you want to say it either way I can find a way to "prove" it.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riddler 0 #3 June 18, 2003 Not making a statement, but I will repeat what was in Parachutist Magazine last year. The chance of death from 17 skydives is the same as the chance of death driving 10,000 miles in a car. I'm not going to defend the statistic - just repeating. Obviously, there are so many ways to skew this, it's not worth defending. But a lot of whuffos are really interested in "ball-park" figures. After the way skydiving is portrayed in movies, they think at least one person gets killed on every load Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shotgun 1 #4 June 18, 2003 QuoteEeek! It all depends on how you want to look at the data. I can absolutely guarantee that if you want to say it either way I can find a way to "prove" it. Yeah, I suppose it is like comparing apples and oranges... I just see a lot of people saying that as though it is fact (and I've said it myself), but now I'm wondering how true it is... And you're probably right about being able to "prove" it either way - statistics can be manipulated in any way that's useful I guess. Now how big did you say your canopy is? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlueEyedMonster 0 #5 June 18, 2003 I know I KNOW!!! OK so I remembered wrong. Here are the correct numbers and sources: Driving ------ http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0908123.html 191,275,719 licensed drivers in 2001 http://www.madd.org/stats/0,1056,4809,00.html 42,116 Traffic fatalities in 2001 2.2 Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 licensed drivers Skydiving ------ http://www.uspa.org/about/page2/relative_safety.htm 35 fatalities in 2001 http://www.uspa.org/about/sport.htm#statistics 34,322 uspa members in 2001 10.2 Skydiving fatalities per 10,000 USPA members Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zenister 0 #6 June 18, 2003 kind of like the great statistic i heard recently.. (might have been here) average # of deaths per year over the last 10 years due to lightning strikes? 70 quite a bit higher than your average number of fatalities due to skydiving.. i guess being outside in the rain is more dangerous..____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
base704 0 #7 June 18, 2003 Quote70 quite a bit higher than your average number of fatalities due to skydiving.. in ten years?You can get a lot more done with a kind word and a gun than with a kind word alone. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #8 June 18, 2003 Oh it's far more complex than a simple apples and oranges thing. If you just want to say which group of people has the most fatalities per year, then it's hands down the drivers. If you want to say which group of people has the most fatalities per 1000 participants each year that's another number. But what about really interesting numbers like most fatalities per participant per hour participating? Oh geeze I don't think you even want to go near that one because I think skydiving is gonna lose hands down. Oh, BTW, the canopy is HUGE! quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shotgun 1 #9 June 18, 2003 QuoteNot making a statement, but I will repeat what was in Parachutist Magazine last year. The chance of death from 17 skydives is the same as the chance of death driving 10,000 miles in a car. Those are interesting numbers... not sure what to make of it, but I guess it depends on how much you do of each activity??? My personal perspective is that I've had pretty much the same number of friends killed or injured in both skydiving and automobile accidents... but since pretty much everyone I know drives an automobile, yet only half (or probably less) of the people I know skydive, that makes me conclude that skydiving is more dangerous... But again, that is just my personal perspective so it doesn't really mean much (could be bad luck with the skydiving part?)... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zenister 0 #10 June 18, 2003 QuoteQuote70 quite a bit higher than your average number of fatalities due to skydiving.. in ten years? average # over ten years i believe...just an off heard (read) statistic..havent researched it at all..____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sebazz1 2 #11 June 18, 2003 QuoteSkydiving Vs. Driving a CarIf I had to choose between skydiving or driving a car I would set mysef on FIRE!!! Oh did I misread the post Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlueEyedMonster 0 #12 June 18, 2003 QuoteQuoteSkydiving Vs. Driving a CarIf I had to choose between skydiving or driving a car I would set mysef on FIRE!!! Oh did I misread the post I chose skydiving... I don't have a car Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LouDiamond 1 #13 June 18, 2003 You know it always kills me(pun intended) that when they do these number things they always come up with a "point something" after a number. With something as finite as death how does one get anything other than whole numbers? I can only imagine it's like a Monty Python movie during the counting. Wait.....I'm not dead yet.....yes you are...no I'm feeling better...your almost dead....no really, I'm better...no your not your just about dead. What about riding in a plane? Thats part of skydiving too is that calculated into the numbers as well?"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required" Some people dream about flying, I live my dream SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlueEyedMonster 0 #14 June 18, 2003 QuoteWhat about riding in a plane? Thats part of skydiving too is that calculated into the numbers as well? Ha ha ha Chill on the decimals... I gave all the numbers... To make them even for comparison (10,000 drivers to skydivers) you have to divide and thus the decimals. The people are still whole I don't know about the plane rides, I linked my sources... so whatever the USPA considers a skydiving fatality is what I used. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shotgun 1 #15 June 18, 2003 QuoteBut what about really interesting numbers like most fatalities per participant per hour participating? Oh geeze I don't think you even want to go near that one because I think skydiving is gonna lose hands down. Yeah, that's what I'm thinking... I guess there are really so many variables that it's impossible to even conduct an accurate study... Like if you skydive for a living (or just skydive a lot), you're probably more likely to die that way than someone who doesn't jump so much... And if you drive a lot then you're more likely to die that way... And of course, both of these situations could be reversed where if you do either a lot you are more experienced and therefore less likely to get injured??? Ok, this is all too mind-boggling for my little blonde brain. I may as well have asked what the meaning of life is. QuoteOh, BTW, the canopy is HUGE! Really??? (Oh wait, my husband's probably reading this!!! ;) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shotgun 1 #16 June 18, 2003 QuoteYou know it always kills me(pun intended) that when they do these number things they always come up with a "point something" after a number. With something as finite as death how does one get anything other than whole numbers? I can only imagine it's like a Monty Python movie during the counting. Wait.....I'm not dead yet.....yes you are...no I'm feeling better...your almost dead....no really, I'm better...no your not your just about dead. LOL QuoteWhat about riding in a plane? Thats part of skydiving too is that calculated into the numbers as well? There it goes... more of the mind-boggling!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nevermind... what is the meaning of life??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #17 June 18, 2003 I thought you already had a spiritual advisor?quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shotgun 1 #18 June 18, 2003 QuoteI thought you already had a spiritual advisor? Do I??? If so, could you refresh my memory? Because I need to get in touch with whoever that is... I must have lost the damn bar napkin. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #19 June 18, 2003 Maybe I misunderstood -- wears a lot of purple, was a really incredible skydiver in her day. At least I got the impression she was your spiritual advisor from your web site when I read it about a bajillion years ago.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JeffGordon 0 #20 June 18, 2003 How about the number of people chocking on apples and oranges? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riddler 0 #21 June 18, 2003 Quotenot sure what to make of it, but I guess it depends on how much you do of each activity??? It's a hard one to answer. I use this statistic only for whuffos that want to get an idea of the danger. Most people in this country can relate to driving a car. Ask them - how many miles a year do you drive? They might answer 20-30 thousand. Then you say if you drive 30,000 miles in a year, you have the same statistical chance of death as me doing 51 skydives in a year. It's far from a very accurate number, but it gives them an idea. And it often makes people pause and say "oh - that doesn't seem too bad". Again - whuffos sometimes think people die on every load - it helps to put it in a more accurate perspective.Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shotgun 1 #22 June 19, 2003 QuoteMaybe I misunderstood -- wears a lot of purple, was a really incredible skydiver in her day. At least I got the impression she was your spiritual advisor from your web site when I read it about a bajillion years ago. Ah, Purusha... Well she's not really my spiritual advisor (although I'd have to say I have definitely learned some things from her - she's an incredible person ;-), but she's more a good friend... and definitely has some good stories about the "good ole days" of skydiving, and has a very refreshing outlook on life as well (She's 60+ years old and has more energy than I've ever had.) book, which I've read a bit of, and I think it's gonna be pretty good... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,230 #23 June 19, 2003 Add in such variables as do you drive after drinking alcohol, do you always hook your landings... and you get a very difficult comparison.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumprunner 0 #24 June 19, 2003 QuoteDoes anyone know if there is any statistical information that has been published comparing the dangers of skydiving vs. driving a car? I've always kinda gone along with the "well it's no more dangerous than driving a car" theory, but now that I've stopped to really think about it I would have to say (based solely on my personal experience) that skydiving is actually more dangerous than driving a car... Again this is only based on my personal experience, which could be way off base from average, so I'm just wondering if anyone knows of any "real" information that might prove or disprove the theory??? The big fallacy here is that skydiving may be more dangerous but in skydiving you are more menatally alert at the possiblility of an accident, whereas in driving, you do it everyday and are desenitized to the dangers of getting in an accident, so driving seems a lot safer although there may be many more deaths percentagewise because of that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leroydb 0 #25 June 19, 2003 you didnt figure in the number of times those people drive verses the number of total jumps made...... come back again good buddyLeroy ..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
