In general, it is safer for you to hop on public transportation rather than get behind the wheel of a car. Sure, bus, ferry or airplane crashes generate the most headlines, but cars are the ones to worry about.
What about the transit stations themselves? Say a bus or subway stop is in a sketchy part of town. Are you at serious risk of a mugging? If the area is isolated, you could be. However, you could be at risk in isolated parking lots as well. Alternatively, suppose that you are standing on the bus, someone brushes by you, and the next thing you know, your wallet is missing. Yes, theft on public transportation does happen, and things can get dicey if you catch on in the middle of the theft and try to challenge the perpetrator.
All that said, public transportation is still safer than driving cars. Driving is just a risky activity. Here is a look at two reasons why.
Lack of training
Many car drivers do not belong on the road. This can be true of some bus and train drivers, but as a group, they have more training. With car drivers, you can have teenagers behind the wheel. Not only are they inexperienced, they are also more likely than adults to be texting or chatting with friends in the car.
Distractions galore
Many drivers seem to be on their cellphones constantly, or if they are not, they are about to reach for the devices. Perhaps they are also trying to eat breakfast or clean their shirt where soda just spilled. What about the dog yapping in the back seat and the construction site that deserves gawking at, taking the driver’s attention off the road?
The numbers tell the story. Transit passengers are 20 to 60 times less likely to suffer injuries compared to people in a car. If you usually drive when you have good public transportation options, it may be worth exploring how you can make public transportation work for you.