PASSENGER-MORTALITY RISK ESTIMATES PROVIDE PERSPECTIVES ABOUT AIRLINE SAFETY.

SUBTITLE: AVIATION ACCIDENTS GENERATE WIDESPREAD NEWS COVERAGE, OFTEN CITING STATISTICS OF VARIOUS KINDS THAT MEASURE AIR CARRIER SAFETY AND ESTIMATE PASSENGER-MORTALITY RISK. ANOTHER MEASURE, DISCUSSED HERE, SHOWS THAT A PASSENGER WHO RANDOMLY FLEW ON A U.S. DOMESTIC JET VERY DAY WOULD GO APPROXIMATELY 19,000 YEARS BEFORE DYING IN A FATAL ACCIDENT. NEVERTHELESS, THE MEASURE SHOWS A HIGHER MORTALITY RISK IN SOME REGIONS OF THE WORLD FOR ALL AIR CARRIERS THAT FLY THERE.