"The Debate is Settled"

As the airplane sits on the taxiway, readying for takeoff, you have a pit feeling in the bottom of your stomach. As the engines power up, and the aircraft climbs into the air, your almost done. After level off at altitude, the engines throttle back. Congratulations, you've just passed the most dangerous part of a flight.

However, once you get in the car and start driving, your risk continues. At a red light, you have just as much of a danger of being hit, as you do driving down the road. A drunk driver could come out of nowhere and you could be easily affected during your mile drive down the road to the destination. You could be stuck in traffic, and easily rear ended. I've personally sat in traffic for hours before, only to see cars fly up the emergency lanes, or use them, like these people over in Europe. You have to watch out for other idiots while on the road. There are far fewer idiots in the skies.

Greg Sargent, writing for the New York Observer has written an article called "Driving Versus Flying: The Debate Is Settled!" In it, he discusses some of the earlier points I made in earlier blogs, and then adds some more info on what the "experts" think of human perception. "Oh, the experts like to say we fear flying because we hate to give up control, or even the illusion of control" , Sargent says in his article. While I can see how this is a valid point, you have a more qualified person at the controls of a much more sophisticated airplane than you do at the wheel in a car. Sargent's article also provides the statistic that "From 1980 to 1992, the average number of fatalities in the United States was 37 times greater in passenger cars and taxis than on scheduled flights per mile traveled." Now think about it, 37 times? That's a much greater chance of a car accident than an airplane crash.

Yet while airplane can be safe, there are a few safer times in cars Mr. Sargent says. "If the plane you happen to board is doomed to go down, there’s nothing you can do about it. But drivers can do all sorts of things to cut their risk of death-using seat belts, driving in big cars, staying out of the company of trucks, not driving drunk, sticking to the speed limit on country roads, staying alert." But is this really accurate?

While you have the ability to wear seatbelts and drive in big cars, some people choose to not even wear seatbelts, or drive small, fast cars. Their risk is generally increased during times like this. Your risk is all based off your own decisions. The more risk you take, the more danger you're going to put yourself in and the greater chance you have of an incident occurring. Airplanes also have safety seat belts, that are often forced to be worn and are checked by flight attendants. 

gavgav27. "M1 accident emergency vehicle lane blocked "blurred."" Youtube. Youtube, 24 Aug 2011. Web. 4 Oct 2011.

The Youtube video of the emergency lane blockage on the M1 over in Europe is a good representation of the idiots you are forced to face out on the roads. The guy in the video confronts people who really in some ideas, know what they are doing is wrong, but don't seem to care. They are putting lives are risk, just as drunk drivers or other idiots do each day across the world while driving. It is a lot harder to face an idiot in the skies, due to the training pilots receive and the complexity of an airplane you must know before you can even get the flying metal object off the ground!

                The video, " M1 accident emergency vehicle lane blocked "blurred" is able to provide a great visual representation in my opinion of some of the idiots. You can easily see, how someone else's personal choices on the road, can put other people at risk. It is much harder to put someone at risk in an airplane, since pilots are much more qualified to take control of the airplane and often know what is wrong, and what is right when it comes to flying. A pilot has much more training than a pilot, which I can later relate to in the section on Rules and Regulations in the aviation community.

"Seat Belts". No date. Online image. Waistline. 4 Oct 2011. <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NHLLNX2hVKrQ4pmJSDGh93wLrGWegA78ZHdb37Iev6vSQ7-VsGesQt4lzXOybjB-7Zi1P143sKOkO_H17M9kKvgNz6k3zt6z4p_pg4x67qrHiukuuTMv-yMY-xaRR0BL1wYhtO0AKElD/s1600/belt.jpg>

The image provided her allowed me to just use a visual to make a point and catch the reader's attention. Seat belts were remarked as being a safety factor in cars, but airplanes have safety belts as well. You have the option of wearing one in the car, but in the air, they are often forced to be worn, as the flight attendants will check on the passengers to ensure they are used. The FAA Requires by regulations that all seat belts be worn by passengers during takeoff, taxi, landing, and in flight when the pilot in command suggests that it be worn due to turbulence or other influences.

This image is a good representation of anyone that has ever flown has seen. It is part of the pre-flight safety briefing that all passengers receive prior to flying on an airline to ensure that they know the safety features on the aircraft they are flying on. It is just another example of safety features on airplanes, which I could later relate to the safety factors. In addition, in the too many rules section of my blog, I can point out when seat belts are forced to be worn per the FAA FAR Regulations that are published each month and are posted in some airplanes.

Sargent, Greg. "Driving Versus Flying: The Debate Is Settled!" The New York Observer. 30 Mar 1998.  Web. 4 Oct 2011. <http://www.observer.com/1998/03/driving-versus-flying-the-debate-is-settled/>

This article provided the main parts of my blog. In it, I took information provided by the "experts" to relate back to what they believe people commonly think when they climb aboard an airplane, and what their fears are. I also included the statistic that "From 1980 to 1992, the average number of fatalities in the United States was 37 times greater in passenger cars and taxis than on scheduled flights per mile traveled." I finished my blog by comparing the safety features of cars and airplanes, as Mr. Sargant had made a remark about seat belts and your choice to wear them.

I believe this article provides a good representation of two comparisons between blogs. It is able to point out from pros and cons of flying, and the facts that go along with each. The articles able to provide facts that most of us have looked at before, or have thought on an airplane, to the point of which I believe it was a good article to include that includes good data for the blogs. I can relate the safety seat belt rule to a later article talking about FAA FAR Regulations for flying that are in effect for all passengers and crew that fly on an airplane.