Idaho A Top Western State For Fear Of Flying, Study Finds

Air travel is one of the biggest causes of anxiety in human beings. While the mode of transportation is considered safer than driving, the process still doesn't relax most people as they taxi down the runway.

Taking a flight is statistically much safer than pulling out onto the highway in an automobile, and it's not even close. Between 2003 and 2023, there were 675 reported serious injuries to people flying on airplanes. During that same 20-year time frame, over 47 million motorists on United States highways sustained serious injuries, according to data provided by USA Facts.

A 2025 survey of U.S. residents that included a total of 3,400 American participants found that, among western states, Idaho was among the top five for fear of air travel.

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Idaho Among Top Five Western States For Fear Of Flying, Report Finds

Personally, I have a routine when I fly. As I board a plane, I always run my hand across the aircraft's fuselage and give the machine a gentle love tap as I step into the plane and walk past the greeting staff member(s).

A couple of years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, I took a job with a California biotech company that required me to travel extensively in the U.S. I think that's when this habit began. I also have to fly with music playing through my headphones to drown out the engine noise.

READ MORE: Former Utah And Current Idaho Meteorologist Tragically Killed In Plane Crash

A survey from just a few months ago, taken by Coventry Direct, found that Idahoans have a greater fear of flying than residents of six other western states: California, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Montana.