[user104658]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

hot air ballooning is normalised too, yet if you were to compare the accident rate to travelling by plane I think you'd find a clear winner.

Everything has an element of risk attached even walking on the pavement, however my view is hot air ballooning carries more than I am willing to gamble.

I guess, just as usual I think people tend to have a poor assessment of risk. If you fly for an hour you have a 0.00023% chance of being in an accident, and that includes all accidents... most incidents are minor and don't involve serious injuries or death (it seems like the only time death is usually involved is when a balloon hits power lines, as happened here).

Obviously (as we can see from this story) things can go wrong and it's tragic when they do... but I guess it's worth remembering that 5 - 10 people in the UK die in a car accident EVERY day and something like 100+ are badly injured. It doesn't stop us driving, though, because driving is such a big part of everyday life. I guess all I'm saying is, it seems a shame to shut oneself off from potentially great experiences for the sake of being totally risk-averse (when really, the risks are so tiny). Then again it's fair enough to just find the prospect unappealing! e.g. I'd never do a bungie jump but not because I think it would be particularly dangerous... I just think it sounds awful...