When planning a trip, many individuals choose to rent cars and drive to their destinations instead of flying. Even though both of these options are good means of traveling, they have different advantages and disadvantages in areas such as safety, cost and time.
             More than thirty million Americans, including someone as tough as boxer Muhammad Ali, share the fear of flying. In view of statistics, it is irrational to fear flying a significant distance if you are willing to drive that same distance without such trepidation. Your risk of injury or death is 10 to 100 times greater in an automobile than in an airliner in safer areas of the world. "More people die in two months of traffic accidents than in 40 years of commercial jets"(Fear of Flying's web site). According to National Institute of Aviation Research, in the last decade the chance of being killed in an airplane crash was only one in three million (Tips for the Savvy Traveler p.64). Although planes are the safest and fastest way to travel, they don't always offer the personal freedom that a car can offer.
             A car has the advantage of being your home-away-from home. You can bring more gear such as portable crib and stroller for a baby. You can get yourself some picnic equipment and when you pass through a small town in late morning, purchase fresh bread, fruit, tea, instant coffee or anything else you might have forgotten for the trip. If you have a cooler, you will be able to eat marvelously. However, with a car you carry more risks of getting lost and being involved in an accident. "Car accidents are the leading cause of death for travelers"(Tips For the Savvy Traveler p.78). You have to be aware of drivers who drive more aggressively or those that violet traffic low. Heavy traffic can also complicate things if your time is limited.
             Depending on the circumstances, you can spend about as much money on flying as you can on driving. A
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