Defining Safety

Is flying safe? This seems like a simple question, but it is actually more complicated than you think. We have to first define what safe means. Is it that you feel safe? Many people are terrified of flying and wouldn’t say that they feel safe when flying, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they are not safe.  Would you define it as being free of accidents or failures?  Accidents do occur, and although we strive to prevent them, they still happen. Does this mean that aircraft are not safe?

In order to develop safe structural designs, we have to define what we mean by safety. We will examine this definition and its consequences on how we approach design.