Is It Safer To Ride A Horse Or Drive A Car?

Over the years we’ve developed a special bond with horses that helped us advance to a point where we use cars as our main transportation tool. In the past, horses were used for transportation and transitioned to a more recreational activity where people ride horses for fun or race them for amusement.

Compared to cars horses are very different. Even though they will get the same job done of getting you from point A to point B, the whole experience is different. One of the most important aspects of traveling in both cars and horses is safety.

This got us wondering, is it safer to ride a horse or to drive a car? Let’s dig deeper into this topic and find out more about the difference between cars and horses in terms of safety.

Cars

Cars have advanced to a point where they are self-drivable, and there are countless safety features to prevent injuries during a disaster. Car manufacturers are working around the clock to find new ways to ensure the safety of both the drivers and the passengers in a collision through auto-braking systems using lasers, including dozen of airbags.

With that said, cars nowadays are also faster and more powerful than ever before. This means that drivers can reach incredible speed in a few seconds, increasing the risk of fatal injuries. 

The safety of a car depends on many factors, such as speed, surface, tire condition, driving style, weather conditions, type of car, and more. With that said, it is hard to conclude whether or not cars are safe in general. 

It is safe to say that cars are now safer than ever before. With all the advancements in technology, car manufacturers have developed new and innovative ways to make the entire driving process safer, even at high speed. With that said, there are still around 1.35 million deaths from motor-vehicle accidents every year. Every day there are around 3,700 fatalities in car accidents which is an astonishing number considering all the safety precautions that most cars go through.

Even though this is a high number, cars are safe to drive at normal conditions and decent speed.

Horses

On the other hand, horses are animals that are controlled by humans. They are not pre-programmed machines that are designed to do specific things. They have their own consciousness and act on their own, especially if they are not properly trained or tamed. 

With horses, there are many more variables that are outside of your control, making the entire process more dangerous. For example, sometimes horses act on their own causing you to lose control over them leading to disaster.

According to the horse race news, these animals can also reach 40mph which is not a lot compared to cars, but still fast enough to suffer from serious injuries if you fall. 

The safety of a horse ride also heavily depends on the rider’s skill. Trained horses are perfectly safe to ride, even for beginners that don’t know much about these majestic animals.

It is also worth mentioning that the injury rate in horse riding is just 0.49/1000, and there are only around three deaths per year. This statistic shows that horses are actually much safer than cars, with a significantly lower number of fatal injuries.

However, horses are used much less than cars and are expected to see a lower number.

Even though more variables can go out of control when riding a horse compared to a car, the injuries are mostly not fatal, especially if you wear the proper horse-riding gear. Plus, obviously, they are more environmentally friendly.

Conclusion

Even though cars and horses share many similarities, they are very different. The safety of each transportation method depends on many factors and it is very hard to make a conclusion on which is safer. 

After all, it all depends on your skill and how you ride your horse or drive your car. Both methods have their own limits and it is crucial to stick to them in order to avoid a disaster.