Nobody would argue that skydiving is a safe thing to do. And statistics can be manipulated to make skydiving look very safe or very dangerous. Generally, safety in skydiving is determined by the individual. Rarely do skydiving accidents result from equipment failure or bad luck. Skydivers use good preparation and judgment to manage the obvious and inherent risks.
Accident Statistics
Injuries: It's hard to estimate injuries very accurately, because what one person might call an injury, another might brush off as a minor occurrence. Many accidents go unreported. Only 962 USPA members reported having injuries requiring medical attention in 2005. During the same year, USPA members reported making nearly 2.2 million jumps.
Fatalities Each Year:
| 1992 - 27 |
2000 - 32 |
| 1993 - 41 |
2001 - 35 |
| 1994 - 30 |
2002 - 33 |
| 1995 - 27 |
2003 - 25 |
| 1996 - 39 |
2004 - 21 |
| 1997 - 31 |
2005 - 27 |
| 1998 - 44 |
2006 - 21 |
| 1999 - 27 |
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For more information also visit the Dropzone.com Skydiving Fatalities Database.
Safe Skydiving Centers
No official organization rates the safety of skydiving centers. Compiling a list of accidents by skydiving center would simply indicate the busiest, most active centers. Drop zones that abide by the rules can still be places where individual jumpers have accidents. Feel free to ask the DZ directly about their safety record; they've been asked before. Drop zones that join as USPA Group Members are required to use only USPA-rated instructional personnel and provide standard skydiving equipment. Click here for a list of USPA Group Members.
Student Safety
Considering that students comprise the bulk of participants in the sport, relatively few fatal accidents involve student skydivers. This is due largely to the design of skydiving equipment used for students and the quality of instruction and care provided at most skydiving schools.
All parachutes are designed for reliability, but student gear is also designed to be easy to use and forgiving. Most skydiving instructors hold a USPA instructional rating and train according to USPA standards. USPA requires students to jump in good weather conditions and into unobstructed landing areas. Students must open their parachutes higher than experienced jumpers.
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