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Is it Safe to Travel to EuropeRevised February 2, 2008Domestic US, Canadian, Mexican and western European commercial flights have had no fatal incidents since the tragic US domestic crash in Lexington, Kentucky in 2006. The recent crash in London (January 2008) demonstrated how skilled flight-simulator-trained pilots and airline flight attendants are: despite a crash short of the runway at Heathrow, all of the passengers and crew survived. If you listen carefully to details on crashes, you'll realize that they tend to occur in developing nations where aviation skills and training have not, unfortunately, reached the same levels as we enjoy. Still, it is hard to start thinking about a trip abroad without contemplating airline safety. Add some fear of the unknown as a first trip to Europe is likely to cause, throw in concern about current political events and you can come up with lots of reasons to stay safely on the couch with the extra cash earning interest in a bank account. But if you have even the slightest sense that you'd like to find out what life is like on another continent, don't let fear be the reason you stay home. Global tensions and intolerance have risen over the last decade in most nations around the world, bringing acts of political violence and other conflict with them. There is a loud voice expressing anti-American views that may make us feel safer if we stay at home. But the reality is that you are probably as safe or safer walking the streets of Madrid or Vienna as you are strolling through Disney World. Angry political unrest in France and reactions to the cartoons of Denmark remind us that there are issues in all societies about social justice and that raw nerves can lead to chaos in some instances as those who feel neglected by society draw attention to their plight with violence. Still, the frustration was not directed at tourists and many people who were in Paris at the time never saw the unrest that flashed across TV screens in the US. To ensure your safety, the best advice I can give you is to take political risks into consideration as you make your plans. With the repeated issues of terrorism in Britain, you might want to pay a bit more for your airline tickets to fly on non-US, non-British carriers or to avoid travel through the congested, uncomfortable Heathrow hub. You may also want to get to your hotel by limousine (hired van or car) rather than by train or subway. The area of greatest unrest during the French riots was between Paris and the Charles de Gaulle airport. If you travel by limousine you will be less vulnerable than someone carrying luggage through a train station. While it is wise to use good judgment as you move through any place in Europe, the nature of the disorder needs to be put in perspective. On a public radio talk show, I heard that on an average day in France, 100 cars are set afire and that number is half of the number of cars set afire each day in Great Britain. As I mentioned in the section on personal safety, pickpocketing is a common crime in France. Assault and robbery are not and there are no stories indicating that the unrest has turned to physical violence against individuals. By contrast, Events in London in the summer of 2005 remind us that acts of terrorism are not confined to the Middle East and that if you travel to western Europe you are exposed to some threat of a terrorist activity. But it is important to understand the level of the threat you face and how to make decisions that insure your personal safety. I do not mean to minimize the tragic losses suffered in Madrid or London, or to discount the tragic events of September 11th, but to put them in perspective. For the family and friends of the victims, the statistical risk the victims faced are meaningless....their family members have died or have suffered lingering injuries.....it does not matter that less than 1 person in 951 million died in terrorist attacks outside the Middle East in 2003. The victims, unfortunately, were the ones in 951 million. But the experience of travel is so valuable, and at this time, the risk is still so extremely low that the tragedies in Madrid or London should not keep you home. By way of comparison, 42,643 Americans died in motor-vehicle accidents in 2003, making your odds of getting in an automobile accident 1 in 6800 or roughly 1200 times greater than your risk of being attacked by a terrorist abroad. Still we drive to work and to play and never let the risk alter our plans. If you are extremely concerned about the risk of terrorism, you can find travel insurance policies that will allow you to get the cost of your tickets back should a terrorist event occur near your destination shortly before your departure or should an act of terrorism force you to return home early. Again, you want to be sure you have found a policy before you purchase your airline tickets.
Recent news does make flyers think twice about safety. You can reduce the risks you face by reviewing the safety records of the airlines you choose to fly. Before you pay for the ticket, find out what type of plane the company uses to cross the Atlantic and what the company's safety record has been. Do you really want to risk your safety if you are only saving $100? Even carriers with safe records and planes with few accidents can have one, but the more attention a carrier pays to the issue of passenger safety, the more likely you will have a safe and comfortable flight. In addition to choosing a carrier with a good recrod, you can take a few additional steps to increase your likelihood to survive a crash. |
As recent events point out, you can survive a crash but die in the fire that is likely to occur shortly after impact. Evidence suggests that more than 50% of those who die in plane crashes survive the crash but not the associated flames. Synthetic fabrics pose a serious risk because they melt at high temperatures causing severe third degree burns. Because of this, I generally chose to fly in comfortable cotton fabrics (usually jeans and a tight cotton shirt), knowing that loose fitting clothing is more likely to catch fire than tighter fitting shirts and pants. clothing.
Generally, survivors of serious plane crashes were out of the plane before fire entered the cabin. If you know the location of exits, you are more likely to get to the exit quickly. Modern planes have lights that should operate in an emergency but if you know that it is only 3 seats forward or 15 seats back to the exit, you are more likely to make a safe exit. Also, you should know where ALL the exits are; a survivor of the August 2005 Peruvian crash credits her survival to her husband's decision to not use the nearest emergency exit because flames were approaching and instead chosing to use the rear exit. She also appreciated the fact that he covered her face to protect her from flames.
Before an accident occurs, you should know what type of flotation device is available on your plane and how to use it. As the announcement tells you where it is, be sure you can find the tab that lets you get to an auxilliary life vest. Most of the flight to Europe is within sight of land but there are times when you are over open water; if you know where safety equipment is, you'll be ready for an emergency.
If you take medication to put you at ease or drink alcohol to excess you may not be able to make important split-second decisions in emergency situations. So pace your consumption of alcohol on transatlantic flights and, if you need medication to fly, ask the doctor to give you medication that will not make you excessively drowsy.
You increase your chance of surviving a crash if you are securely in your seat. You are also less likely to be tossed by mid-air turbulence if you are belted, so keep your seatbelt latched whenever possble during flight.
If you look at the statistics, you'll realize that air travel between Europe and the US is amazingly safe. You'll note that there are few reported incidents and that of those incidents, most resulted in no fatalities.
Recently the added concern is avian flu. Advice currently (July 2007) is that there are no human cases of bird flu in Europe though the virus has been detected in some birds so:
We followed these simple precautions in 2006 knowing that we were visiting areas of Hungary with many wild birds that migrated from Africa and posed a slight threat. By following these basic strategities, we returned home safe and healthy.
Currently the CDC is stating that there is no risk in the European food supply and that cooked chicken is safe to eat. As of July 2007, no human have been infected with avian flu in Europe though wild birds have been identified with the disease in eastern France and parts of Germany and infected poultry has been found in eastern Engalnd. It appears that efforts to address the disease are working in Europe and the disease appears to have been pushed out of Turkey where it had been a problem. If you want specific advice, go to Center for Disease Control's page on Avian Flu which is responsible for monitoring the avian flu issues for the US government.
The CDC also tracks disease risks that travelers may face on their vacations. A quick click the CDC's website will point out that European travelers will not be exposed to serious diseases on their journeys.
Generally you'll find food in Europe to be of the same or higher standards than you are used to at home. If you visit local famers' markets in western Europe, you'll find fresh produce and treats that have fewer chemicals than we find in foods on our local grocery store shelves. Most Europeans don't handle produce that they aren't going to buy; at markets, the merchant will pack it for you; in grocery stores, you'll find gloves that allow you to pick up produce without spreading germs. The biggest cause for concern is from BSE or Mad Cow Disease though current reports from the CDC do not report any lingering affects from the 1990s' outbreak in the United Kingdom that killed 157 people. Again, good sanitary practices, being cautious if you travel to farms and double-checking with official websites about the disease can reduce your exposure. Also, you'll find the drinking water available in France, Germany, Italy and other western European nations to be safe and pure.
If you stay in the nations the countries that we think of as "Western Europe"--France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain and the Scandanavian countries or the countries of Slovenia, Czech Republic or Hungary, you are generally safe from physical crime. In all of these countries, the homicide rate is significantly lower than the U.S. The countries that were part of the Soviet Union are, however, more dangerous with many types of property crimesand higher homicide rates. To put things in perspective, the 2004 UN Survey on Crime trends listed the homicide rates in Latvia and Lithuania as more than double the homicide rate in the US. Those numbers do not point toward many tourists dying on visits to those countries but some travellers to eastern Europe can feel the increased risk to personal safety. If you are considering a trip to eastern Europe, you should know that violence is not generally directed at tourists as it in some of the tourist destinations of Mexico and central America. Visit the United States Department of State to see the warnings for any countries you may visit.
The biggest risk of crime you face in western Europe are property crimes. In many countries, theft is common and conducted by organized groups. This means you must do what you can to protect yourself. A quick check of rental car agreements and the countries they will not let you visit is a good way to see what countries the Europeans consider too dangerous.
Sources of Information about Risks
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