Is using public transport safer than driving a personal car

There is a narrow band of distance within cities and across a few states where driving a car makes sense in the head but statistically still puts you at great risk of injury.

BHPian Sarath_ recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Why drive a car?

The question is simple. We have our reasons. It is for most of us an essential and justified tool in our life. But why drive a car over other means. Cars have consistently been at the bottom end of the safety list for transportation. Each of us is aware of at least one distant friend or acquaintance who has suffered a serious accident and sometimes not living to tell the tale.

Despite this we shrug of such news as a part of our daily life. A necessary risk some would say. A calculated risk some others would say, having an arsenal of tools and charts for every journey.

Transportation is simply a means to go from A to B. Anyone who has recently received the keys to their first bike would vehemently deny that. It is the path between A to B that matter. Not the points A and B. Several backaches and kids later the A and the B come back into focus and the statement cements itself. The same path between A and B that represented adventure, life and memories now present a predicament, another hurdle or inconvenience best forgotten or diminished.

As of writing this in 2022, our transportation options are far greater than a few decades ago. No more gawking at the latest Maruti 800 or waving at airplanes or being sent off by your entire family tree at the train station or petitioning for a bus stop at your town or village or even hoping for the luxury of a cobbled road.

Driving a car represents a great risk and threat to one’s safety; more so in our country where the issues associated with moving in a metal box and several tonnes of force is compounded by the inherent flexibility of rules and driving discipline. Humans have simply not evolved to travel at such speeds or survive an untoward incident.

I have been swimming in words that are only conveying what can be established as common knowledge on this forum. So I will not go further at the risk of sounding like a tirade or rant on cars.

So I will present my question:

Why do people insist on driving their car to a destination that can be covered by air, train or bus in a much safer manner?

I do not generally like to present my personal experiences or stories to drive the point home as each one of us has one, but I would like to present my story in this case for context in two parts:

Part A - Bikes:

I have realized that bikes are the most expensive modes of transport. I say this not from a financial standpoint but a social one. The person riding a bike is usually a younger male/ female who is a productive member of the society or one who will. An accident involving a bike is usually serious, leading to a lot of morbidity (affecting their work) or mortality. A loss of such member is a huge burden, first on the family who has lost a pillar of foundation holding up the daily needs of it members emotionally and financially; also society that has one less member contributing to the overall development and upliftment of their people.

It was one fateful day I saw a young man being brought into the emergency department, one could tell two things about the situation. The person had been in an accident either road or construction related. Second, it was too late. A lot of thoughts rush into your mind at the same time and you have run through the motions of emotions quickly and be in the present. Everyone had an opinion. Before anyone could make any insensitive retorts such as “He is a young college bike rider, must be riding rash and should have worn a helmet”, a bystander interrupted our thoughts and showed us an object which a few of us rightly guessed to a helmet. It was completely crushed beyond recognition for many. This person had done everything right. A college going kid with a helmet on was a rare sight in those days especially on the city roads so this showed that this person was concerned about his safety. Someone quipped that the helmet must have been attached to the seat but that was quickly rebuked. A young life lost, although the first I witness was not the last. Within a week of that I had put my bike to rest and refrained my brother from using it, unless it is to learn to ride. But I quickly encouraged him to not pursue it and played into his already apparent disinterest in bikes.

That ended my journey with bikes. Beautiful machines that are both mythical dragons and sirens.

Part B - Cars:

This experience doesn’t specifically pertain to cars but any small vehicle which doesn’t need balancing. I will stick to cars for ease of explanation.

Well I found myself in a situation where I would see a mangled limb or two, a crushed head and many similar atrocities on a daily basis. They were all traveling on the decently lit highway that connected some major cities and/or religious destinations. None of them had simple injuries baring a rare few. I do not want to go into each case but there were wedding parties traveling in a group, families on way to pilgrimage, daily wage workers in transit to work etc.

Most of them required a long stay in the hospital and an even longer rehabilitation. Watching young strong men holding back their tears in some cases and in other wailing in unimaginable pain daily was a harrowing experience. I specifically mention them as they hold out the longest without expressing their true pain and you can watch the pain in their eyes and the diminishing mental health soon follows. All of this could have been avoided if they had taken public transportation, instead of deciding to go in the comfort of one’s own vehicle, on what can only be described as a perilous journey.
This slowly caused a very gradual shift in my own driving behaviour where I would be reluctant to go on short or long road trips that were otherwise well connected. This also filled me with a morbid fear for road travel.

I can completely justify my shift from bikes to cars. I am not saying I am right or being preachy. I am only expressing that I do not think I can live with two wheelers anymore. But am I justified in painting cars with the same brush in colours of fear, paranoia and doubt?

There are ofcourse limitations to to car use. For short distances which are 2 mins by walk and 10 mins by car, we tend to ditch the car. For long distances, trips abroad taking your car there doesn’t even picture in mind (I know middle eastern kings tend to take their rides of private jets but this post is not directed at them). Also for very long journeys from one end to the country to other, cars tend to become too cumbersome.

There is a narrow band of distance within cities and across a few states where driving a car makes sense in the head but statistically still puts you at great risk of injury.

Is it time to ditch our car?

Change our travel habits - booking off season flight tickets or AC / Executive class train seats (on par with flights in comfort) or try out the sleeper or coach buses?

Any points or counterpoints are greatly welcome.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Statistically, air & rail travel might be safer than cars, but that doesn't mean cars are "unsafe". As long as there is a good driver behind the wheel of a safe car on good roads, and you follow our the best practices listed in this thread (e.g. avoiding night driving on highways), you're okay. Sure, there is some risk, but that is also there while walking in the neighbourhood or going for a late night dinner. I think we're fine and don't need to get paranoid.

Of course, if one drives like a mad man in a dynamically unsorted car, overtaking dangerously on two-lane highways with worn out tyres...well, you're just asking for it.

Agreed on motorcycles. They are too risky for India. This is the sole reason I don't have a sports bike parked down in my driveway.

Our ethos is:

Here's what BHPian wildsdi5530 had to say on the matter:

While I agree with you on motorbikes, I stopped riding when I became an orthopedic surgeon. My hands are too precious to risk even a small injury.

Cars are preferred mode of transport for me for distances upto 1000 kms/ day. Buses are too expensive, especially if there are 2+ passengers. Trains require a lot of planning and pre-booking. No flexibility. And Air travel usually involves additional car travel at both ends, and again too expensive.

Routine trips to Tirunelveli by car takes about 8 hrs. Fuel + toll costs about 4K one way. Private bus tickets are 3K in some seasons. Govt bus has no direct route. Train is excellent but needs to be booked well in advance, esp if you want 2nd or 3rd class. Sleeper generally fills up a month ahead.

Flights are good, but there is only 1 flight. And there is a 30 km car drive in Bangalore and a 60 km car ride in Tirunelveli. Other options are Madurai with a 200 kms and Trivandram with a 150 km drive. So beats the whole purpose.

Plus all the luggage needs to be moved at every point. By car, I load at home and unload at destination. No looking for trolley, checkin, hauling along platforms, Loading in bus belly, etc.

Of course if I'm travelling alone, I don't mind public transport, but again depends.

Here's what BHPian sen2693 had to say on the matter:

I totally understand the paranoia that might have led to this post, but let me ask you this - where isn't the risk? Few days back, I read a news on how a recently built apartment collapsed in a city. Staying home killed people in that case. Buses, trains, flights, choppers all are prone to accidents as well. Agreed, the probability might be much less than car/bike accidents but if it is your day it is your day. A human can be perfectly healthy one day and catch a terminal disease out of nowhere. Every moment since you are born you are at a risk of getting hurt one way of another. There is a greater philosophical point to be made here on 'Live a little' but I do not have enough wisdom to explain that statement.

Now why I bought a car - I live in Bangalore and my hometown is a remote village in TN and although there is connectivity, it is not very convenient. I will have to take multiple buses. Closest train station is 45KMs away. I sometimes need to carry lot of stuff to and fro, which would not at all be practical via public transport. I have also made a couple of road trips instead of taking flight/train because I like the luxury of moving around inside the travel destination freely without any dependence on public transport. I understand that the risk of life outweighs the convenience I am calling out, but the point is where do I stop? Maybe not travel at all to reduce further risk? Move to a rural place to reduce risk of health hazards in city? Stop eating some stuff that might be not good for health?

Driving in this country sometimes is a nightmare. I try to be as defensive as I can on highways. Give way to faster moving cars. Don't undertake unless a very clear view of road ahead and back is visible. All we can do is take as much safety precautions as possible while driving just like you do with other stuff like wearing a mask while stepping out.

Here's what BHPian BlackPearl had to say on the matter:

I feel much more safe and comfortable driving a car over any other mode of transport. I hate flights and drive thousands of Kilometers/Miles to avoid air-travel. Statistics might show that air-travel is the safest mode of transport, but there is a saying "Lies, damn lies and then statistics". I definitely agree to this when it comes to driving, I feel it is the safest for me and I am the happiest when driving. No amount of data and statistics can take that away from me.

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