Collision Course: The Truth About Airline Safety [Hardcover]

Ralph Nader (Author), Wesley J. Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1993

Two of the nation's leading consumer advocates uncover an airline safety system that is endangered by increased passenger loads, decreased operating budgets, predatory competition, and insufficient federal regulation. For each area of concern, specific solutions are proposed. A book that no passenger, carrier, or regulator can afford to ignore. 20 illus.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this important, eye-opening survey of the airline industry, Nader teams up again with his coauthor on Winning the Insurance Game . As a result of the deregulation policies of the Carter administration and the laissez-faire approach of Reagan, the industry is collapsing financially, according to the authors, with only United, American and Delta remaining strong, along with the feeder/commuter lines. But stressing that this is not a book about economics--an integral aspect they by no means neglect--Nader and Smith focus on how deregulation has affected safety. Their findings are sobering: planes of the major airlines are aging and sometimes corners are cut on inspections or repairs. Additionally, airports are increasingly overcrowded, which has an impact on both security and on airplane landings. Then there's the FAA, whose performance is "inadequate." Nader and Smith point out that the FAA is required by an executive order (enacted under Reagan) to conduct a cost/benefit analysis before promulgating safety regulations: i.e., the agency must weigh the expenses of new measures against possible loss of life. Concluding that the level of passenger risk is growing, the authors offer recommendations not only for the industry but also for individuals on making air travel safer. And they warn: "The viability of the entire $25 billion-plus commercial aviation industry depends on there being an almost zero accident rate." Photos not seen by PW . 75,000 first printing; major ad/promo.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This book was written to alert the public to discrepancies in the information available about airline safety, the Federal Aviation Administration, air traffic control, and the airline industry's equipment. Nader and Smith, two influential consumer advocates, use documented reports, interviews, crash accounts, and other evidence to illustrate these serious concerns. Crashes, near misses, aging planes, governmental red tape, radar, air controllers, and deregulation are a few of the topics covered. The authors point out that safety innovations may be considered after an accident but are generally ignored as preventative measures. This easy-to-comprehend book should frighten or nudge readers into writing their congressional representatives to complain about some of the ancient regulations and laws pertaining to airline safety. For most collections.
- H. Robert Malinowsky, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 378 pages
• Publisher: Tab Books; 1st edition (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830642714
• ISBN-13: 978-0830642717
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,601,687 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but sensationalist, pessimistic and bias, June 6, 2008

By 

Alberto R. Gallardo Rico "skipper" (Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Collision Course: The Truth About Airline Safety (Hardcover)

Interesting reading for those working in the airspace industry, though I would not recommend it to "plain" passengers. Its audience is also limited due to it focusing in the American industry and its organizations.

It provides some insights on how this industry operates, and its political and economic aspects. It helps to understand why flying is expensive, and why we should distrust cheap airspace companies.

I have found the text too sensationalist, full of crashes and deaths figures, but lacking a proper context. For example, the appendix contains a list of air accidents reported by the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) where fatalities numbers are provided; but these number of fatalities, without the context of how many passengers have flown, is useless.

It is also political bias, where for example, the impact of Reagan's Deregulation is very hardly criticized.

In summary, I enjoyed the reading because I have some experience in this sector, but it should be considered that it presents a too pessimistic view on air traffic for those users who aren't aware of some of its internal details.