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It’s not rare to hear people encouraging others to use public transportation for various reasons, and safety is often pointed out as a primary benefit of this alternative. And while it’s true there are various aspects of public transportation that make it inherently safe and even more convenient for some people, that’s definitely not a universal rule. And it’s important to pay attention to the finer details in this situation, because we have to make our decisions based on actual information and not myths and propaganda.

You’re Never Safe on the Road

The most fundamental truth that you have to understand about traveling in general is that you’re never safe. You might be the most perfect driver out there, but it doesn’t matter if someone decides to run a red light at 200mph and completely wipes you out before you can even turn your head to look at them. The same goes for public transportation — it’s just as prone to accidents, although in some cases it can be argued that the risk is reduced. For example, the subway travels underground where it’s completely isolated from other traffic. Some buses even have their own dedicated lanes in a similar fashion.

Maintenance Is Sometimes Questionable

It’s true that it’s generally safer to take the bus or train when it comes to statistics, but there are some considerations to make here that are pretty important if you’re concerned about your safety. For one thing, these stats are global, and may not necessarily represent the situation wherever you live. The unfortunate reality is that some places around the world are still pretty bad in terms of regulating their public transportation, leading to various issues like delayed maintenance, use of outdated or even obsolete equipment and a strong disregard for safety practices.

New Technologies Are Coming Up

There are various changes on the horizon which could tip the balance even further in favor of public transportation. Self-driving vehicles are the biggest contender for that, because public transportation has been a prime target for adopting them. It will take some time for these technologies to reach the stage where they are massively available and easy to integrate into any society, but once that happens, we expect to see even less interest in privately owned and driven vehicles. Some governments around the world are already considering massive changes to their infrastructure to promote these developments.

Safety Margins Are Tricky to Define

It’s also worth pointing out that it can be hard to define what “safe” is exactly. While stats can tell various stories about the safety issues related to different types of transportation, there are also various specific contexts that have to be considered in this, and it’s not an easy question to answer. Indeed, some are still struggling to come up with a precise definition of the appropriate safety margins and this is something that’s not likely to change for quite some time.  

Some People Don’t Understand Their Own Safety

Which brings us to another important point. Many people simply have a misunderstanding about what it means to be safe on the road, and what kinds of features they need to be looking for when it comes to their own safety. And with that in mind, you should not take the words of those around you lightly. Always draw your own conclusions and make sure that you take everything you read in its specific context.

Sometimes, you’ll find that when you think about an issue from a different perspective, you’re going to realize that your views don’t exactly fit with the way it’s being presented at the moment. This is very true when things like statistics and personal safety are involved, and you have to always pay attention to the context in which you’re examining these problems. The good news is you have plenty of opportunities to get the right idea nowadays, and you should definitely take advantage of them and reach out for them while they’re there. Look around, see how stats are currently defined and see if they have any specific meaning for you that might not be presented in such a context in whatever you’re reading.