How common are fatal car accidents?

[BubblegumBlu]

I’m looking at finally learning to drive, but I can’t decide whether it’s worth the risk when I have a young DC. My DH lost his mum in a crash when he was very young and the thought of leaving my DC alone like that is terrifying!

My parents always drove and never had any kind of accident, and nobody that I know personally has ever had anything more than a small bump, even the reckless ones. Car crashes seem to always be the culprit when somebody’s parents die on tv though, and there’s something like a 1 in 250 chance of dying in a car crash. It sounds really high when you think of it like that, especially compared to most other causes of death.

I know that that number includes drunk drivers, young boy racers, reckless idiots in general. Does anyone know much about the real statistics for sober, careful parent in a 5 star safety rated car? I don’t have anyone to talk about this in real life, because everyone I know seems to have no worries at all about it.

DH's father died in a Car accident. Truly terrible and tragic but we both drive,

All you can do OP is be as safe as possible but unfortunately accidents happen

How are you getting around at the moment? Taxis and buses crash about as often as private cars.

The type of roads that you are driving on can also be a factor. I grew up in a rural area where there were a number of fatal road crashes, mostly on winding A class roads. I go back a couple of times a year and am aware that there are still fatal crashes, although perhaps not as man y as when I grew up. I now live in an urban area and when I was with a group of friends in the pub it turned out I was the only person who had known several people who had died in crashes. The friends who had grown up in urban areas and spent most of their time driving there or on motorways didn't know of anyone who had died. Motorways are actually very safe when you consider the number of people who travel on them.

Taxis possibly. Buses absolutely not.