Is it dangerous? There are approximately 5-10 glider fatalities per year in the US and approximately 15,000 active glider pilots, indicating that they bear an annual risk of about a 1-in-2,000 of being killed by participating in the sport. Driving has an annual fatality rate of about 1-in-7,000, so soaring is roughly three to four times more dangerous than driving, on an annual basis. The sport has a danger factor, but one needn't have a death wish to take it up. [Note: There is no way to know the exact number of active glider pilots, so the above number is very approximate.] See the Soaring Safety section of this web site for some additional thoughts.
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