The Safety Paradox: Why People Trust Drivers But Fear Private Pilots

Many people will outright tell you that flying in a small plane is dangerous. But consider this: when work gets crazy and school pickup is a problem, these same people will often ask just about anyone with a driver's license to grab their kids.  A neighbor, a teen sibling, or another parent they barely know. They do this without ever asking for a driving history or safety record.

This paradox reveals something fascinating about how we perceive risk, training, and safety when considering flying.

The contrast in training requirements between drivers and pilots is stark. Many states will issue a drivers license with as little as six hours of instruction, a basic written test covering, and a practical exam lasting roughly 15-30 minutes. The only physical examination required is a vision test. Once licensed, most drivers will never undergo any form of recurrent training or testing for the rest of their driving lives. Worse, medical conditions are not mandated to be reported in many states and some rely on self reporting.

To pilot a private aircraft, however, requires certification from a physician, a minimum of 40 hours of flight time (although the national average is actually closer to 70), rigorous ground school covering aerodynamics, weather, navigation, and emergency procedures, a comprehensive written examination, multiple flight tests with FAA examiners, biennial flight reviews with certified instructors, and regular medical exams. Private pilots invest thousands of dollars and countless hours mastering their craft before ever carrying passengers. Their training covers everything from routine operations to emergency scenarios; teaching pilots to understand systems and make quick decisions.

Aviation has built one of the most robust safety cultures of any industry. Pilots operate within a system designed around redundancy, checklists, and constant education. In fact, other industries such as medicine have adopted aviation safety protocols such as simulation training, Crew Resource Management (CRM) which emphasises teamwork and communication,  and of course, checklists.

If you compare this with automotive safety, once a driver passes their test, continuing education is rarely required or pursued. And yet we think nothing of entrusting our children to carpool drivers, school bus operators, or the parents of our children's friends.

The Statistics

Athough the numbers have been going down, in 2024, over 39,000 people died in car crashes. More than 100 lives lost every day. In terms of miles driven, it works out to about 1.18 deaths for every 100 million miles.

In this same time period, general aviation had 234 fatalities in 903 crashes per AOPA. This number is higher than commercial airline flying, but still tiny compared to the number of people dying on the roads. Yes, there are way more cars driving than plane flying, but even accounting for that, the contrast is striking. We clearly accept way more risk from cars than we ever would from planes. And yet, we’re more wary of pilots than we are of the average driver. When’s the last time you asked someone about their driving record before hopping in their car or letting them drive your kids somewhere? Probably never.

It probably all boils down to familiarity. We grow up around cars, ride in them daily, and feel like we understand the risks. But when it comes to flying, most people have never been in a small plane and of course get nervous. It’s not that one is inherently riskier; it’s just that one feels normal, and the other doesn’t.

If someone’s nervous about flying with a private pilot, it might help them to look at things a little differently. Ask them to consider the pilot’s training, how often they fly, or their track record. Odds are, the pilot has logged hundreds of hours, had no accidents and follows strict personal safety protocols.

At the end of the day, private pilots aren’t just hobbyists; they’re trained to meet high standards and operate in a culture that emphasizes safety. Maybe instead of fearing general aviation, we should learn from it. Imagine if every driver approached the road like a pilot approaches the sky: with training, discipline, and a constant focus on safety. We’d all be better off.