You're never going to get a straight, factual answer. There are to many variables. Say if you were driving on a highway or through a neighborhood, you could never "equal" rock climbing, or visa versa.
If you're just trying to see what people think then ok, great, just don't make a poll(or have every person that votes explain why they think what they do).
You're never going to get a straight, factual answer. There are to many variables.
Agreed. The best you could do would be to compare how many deaths and how many injuries occur per person per hour of climbing compared to the same for driving.
For climbing, I'm not aware of any statistics beyond the numbers of reported deaths per year. (I bet Majid has them). But then you still need to find the total numbers of climbers, and how many hours they climb a year.
You could try to make some estimates, but good luck.
Demographically, more people are injured each year in automobile accidents than in climbing accidents.
However, inherintly, there is a great amount of risk assumed when one engages in the sport of climbing because there usually aren't "little" accidents. Most climbing accidents result in moderate to severe trauma or death.
However, we, as climbers, accept that risk and do our utmost to minimize it by using our safety gear appropriately and being mindful of our own limitations (ie knowing better than to go climbing when 3 sheets to the wind - I've done a few rescues of drunk college students stranded atop MRC)
Most drivers don't consciously think about the risks inherint in driving a vehicle. it's not at the forfront of their mind as soon as they start the engine. It's just something that is done a lot on autopilot. Perhaps if people approached driving like climbers approach the rock, we would see fewer vehicular deaths.
Demographically, more people are injured each year in automobile accidents than in climbing accidents.
However, inherintly, there is a great amount of risk assumed when one engages in the sport of climbing because there usually aren't "little" accidents. Most climbing accidents result in moderate to severe trauma or death.
However, we, as climbers, accept that risk and do our utmost to minimize it by using our safety gear appropriately and being mindful of our own limitations (ie knowing better than to go climbing when 3 sheets to the wind - I've done a few rescues of drunk college students stranded atop MRC)
Most drivers don't consciously think about the risks inherint in driving a vehicle. it's not at the forfront of their mind as soon as they start the engine. It's just something that is done a lot on autopilot. Perhaps if people approached driving like climbers approach the rock, we would see fewer vehicular deaths.
I agree that we don't have all the statistics, but one thing I do know is that 43,000 people a year die in car accidents in the US. Alot of these involve people who aren't wearing seatbelts. User error? Almost every time I am in a car, there is some asshole who nearly hits me. Any climbing injury I have incurred was admittedly my fault. At least the danger of climbing is something I control - the danger of a vehicle includes every other insane American on the road.
You have more control climbing than you do in a car. You can control what you climb, how you build your anchor, what decisions you make to keep you safe. On the road you cant stop some dumbass from T-Boning you in the middle of the intersection.
Driving has definitely got to be more dangerous. I don't personally know anyone thats been killed climibng, and only heard of a select few. Meanwhile half my damn graduating class took the darwin train to purgatory "car surfing" so off of my experience, yes, you will die on the road before you do it on the rock.
(alpinists not included - go eat your 5000 calories and huddle in the snow! :D)
depends what type of climbing you do; i've been in two car wrecks, and i've been in climbing situations where if i fell i'd be seriously injured or dead; for me, climbing has been more dangerous
This has to be looked as a percentage, both to take into account the number of people driving vs climbing, but also as the amount of time you spend driving vs climbing....I'd say climbing.
There are a number of ways to reduce risk, one of the big ones is to reduce your exposure time. How many hours do people spend travelling in a vehicle per day vs time on the rock.
hard to compare the two. Apples and oranges. we all spend a lot more time driveing and some of us drink and drive especialy after climbing. The objective dangers of driveing are Huge. Lotta other folks on the road that can kill you at any moment. If all you do is sportclimb its more like driveing. Your injury possibilitys are mostly linked to lowering accidents or equiptment failure. Bouldering is like rideing a moped. basicly dosen't count unless you do highballs without pads. trad climbing and wall climbing are more like auto raceing. Lots of protective measures taken but the price can be high if you blow it. Alpine climbing is like raceing Moto GP. lots more chance to get hurt there. High altitude climbing is maby more like driveing in a war zone. You can be the baddest dude in the buisness and still get hit by a random roadside bomb or a sudden storm.
However, inherintly, there is a great amount of risk assumed when one engages in the sport of climbing because there usually aren't "little" accidents. Most climbing accidents result in moderate to severe trauma or death.
I think you've got it wrong. Seriously, how many times have you sprained your ankle, scraped your knee, or tweaked a finger tendon while driving? I'd say that injuries incurred in car accidents are far more likely to be "serious" (i.e. broken bones, paralization, death, etc.) than those incurred while climbing.
In my experience, most climbing accidents do not result in "severe trauma or death". They're just kind of inconvenient. But if you get hurt in a car accident, you're probably going to the hospital.
It's hard to compare the two, since we don't know exactly how many "climbers" there are and what "climbing" is defined as, but here are some stats about driving from http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/stats.html:
In 2005: 196,000,000 licensed drivers 6,420,000 were in accidents (3.3% of licensed drivers) 2,900,000 injured (1.5%) 42,636 killed (.02%)
That would mean 1 of every 5000 licensed drivers was killed in 2005 alone! I'm sure if you include all genres of climbing it may be similar; but for the average sport or trad climber I would have a hard time believing that 1 of every 5000 would die in a given year.
That would mean 1 of every 5000 licensed drivers was killed in 2005 alone! I'm sure if you include all genres of climbing it may be similar; but for the average sport or trad climber I would have a hard time believing that 1 of every 5000 would die in a given year.
Considering that the vast majority of "climbers" (i.e. people who call themselves such) climb plastic only and never touch real rock, I think you're probably right.
11 /
23%
LOL 
