當(dāng)噴氣式飛機(jī)開始滑出跑道，引擎發(fā)出尖厲的呼嘯，你向幾千英尺的空中攀升，向著令人激動(dòng)的目的地航行時(shí)，你禁不住會(huì)想一個(gè)問題：飛機(jī)是否比汽車更安全？

但當(dāng)你開車去社區(qū)便利店，或者坐著Uber汽車從朋友家回自己家的時(shí)候，你卻不會(huì)產(chǎn)生這種擔(dān)心。事實(shí)上，據(jù)美國政府統(tǒng)計(jì)的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，坐飛機(jī)比開車要安全得多。

美國國家公路交通安全管理局的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，2015年共發(fā)生了32,166起致命的交通事故，造成了超過35,000人死亡。這相當(dāng)于每1億英里行駛里程的死亡人數(shù)達(dá)到1.13人，每10萬個(gè)美國居民就有約11人死于交通事故。

相比之下，美國國家運(yùn)輸安全委員會(huì)公布的美國飛機(jī)事故數(shù)據(jù)顯示：2015年，初步統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)據(jù)顯示共發(fā)生27起事故 — 沒有一起造成人員死亡。這相當(dāng)于每10萬個(gè)飛行小時(shí)僅發(fā)生了0.155次事故。每1百萬英里飛行里程發(fā)生航空事故的比率僅有0.0035。

換句話說： 據(jù)美國國家安全委員會(huì)統(tǒng)計(jì)，美國人死于汽車交通事故的概率為1/114。而死于航空航天運(yùn)輸?shù)母怕剩ㄋ饺孙w機(jī)和出租飛機(jī)，為1/9,821。因?yàn)槭澄镏舷⒍赖母怕识急戎叱鋈丁?

單純從統(tǒng)計(jì)學(xué)的角度來看，開車比坐飛機(jī)更加危險(xiǎn)。但我們不難理解為什么人們會(huì)有不同的假設(shè)。美國幾乎每天都在發(fā)生交通事故，但許多交通事故并不嚴(yán)重，只是造成輕微傷害甚至沒有傷害。而飛機(jī)失事可能是災(zāi)難性的、致命的事故。

盡管如此，航空公司會(huì)一絲不茍地檢查設(shè)備，并聘請(qǐng)經(jīng)過專業(yè)訓(xùn)練的飛行員，以確保每次飛行順利。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：劉進(jìn)龍/汪皓

It's a question you can't help but wonder as that jet begins to taxi down the runway, the engines roar to life, and you start to ascend thousands of feet into the air toward an exciting destination: Are airplanes safer than cars?

It's a fear you likely don't have when driving to your local grocery store or in an Uber on your way home from a friend’s house. But the truth is, according to statistics from the United States government, flying on a plane on average is overwhelmingly safer than driving a car.

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that in 2015, there were 32,166 fatal motor vehicle accidents that lead to just over 35,000 deaths. That comes out to be 1.13 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, and nearly 11 people for every 100,000 U.S. residents.

Contrast these numbers to U.S. airline accidents recorded by the National Transportation Safety Board: In 2015, preliminary statistics revealed a total of 27 total accidents — zero of which was fatal. Of the accidents that did occur, just 0.155 happened for every 100,000 flight hours. Airline accidents per one million miles flown came in at a rate of 0.0035.

Put it another way: Americans have a 1 in 114 chance of dying in a car crash, according to the National Safety Council. The odds of dying in air and space transport incidents, which include private flights and air taxis, are 1 in 9,821. That’s almost three times better chances than you meeting your fate by choking on food.

In pure statistical terms, it's more dangerous to drive a car than to fly on a plane. But it’s easy to see why the public often assumes otherwise. Car accidents may happen every day across the U.S., but many of them are minor with little or no injury. Airplane crashes, on the other hand, can be catastrophic, deadly events.

That said, airlines meticulously inspect their equipment and hire professionally trained pilots to ensure a smooth flight every time.