How Are Helicopters Being Made Safer?

Posted in Helicopter Accidents,injury accident lawyer on December 9, 2016

Helicopters tend to have a bad reputation. With so many uses for helicopters today, ranging from filming, tourists attractions and quick transportation, it’s important that they gradually become safer all the time. You shouldn’t feel like you’re risking your life just to get a tour of the Grand Canyon. So exactly how safe are helicopters? Should you reconsider the next time you think about taking a helicopter tour over the Hawaiian Islands?

What are the Risks of Flying in a Helicopter?

Every form of travel has some sort of risk, but helicopters seem to be a bit more risky than most. Airplanes have an accident rate just one-tenth of helicopters. Ten percent of these accidents involve fatalities for both airliners and helicopters, meaning fatal accidents are 10 times more likely in a helicopter.

What about automobiles? Everyone knows that cars can be very dangerous, with serious and fatal accidents happening all the time. But as it turns out, cars seem to be safer than helicopters as well.

Not all helicopters are as risky as others. Some helicopters are sent on dangerous missions, such as military helicopters, making them much more dangerous that arial tour helicopters. They are also continuing to be made safer all the time. More expensive helicopters show a much lower accident rate than less expensive helicopters. High end helicopters have an accident rate very similar to airplanes. Low end helicopters have the highest accident rate among all helicopters. So the helicopter you fly in matters.

Pilot training is also essential to helicopter safety. Pilots are now being required to have emergency training to learn how to handle any situation in the air. The more training a pilot has, the more able they are to avoid situations that lead to less severe accidents, or they respond to these situations to avoid an accident.

The next time you’re thinking about taking a helicopter tour, look into the company and the type of helicopters they fly. Most of them are safe and have had little to no accidents. But don’t forget to do your research.