Is Skydiving Safe?

Generally speaking, the safety in skydiving is determined by the individual jumper and the precautions they may or may not take. It’s rare that skydiving accidents happen because of equipment failure or the luck of the draw. Preparation and judgment are usually the determining factors of a safe or unsafe skydive. Estimating the number of injuries is difficult to do accurately and a lot of accidents aren’t even reported. Between 1992 and 2005 there has been an average of 31 deaths per year out of a couple million jumps per year.
There are very few fatal accidents involving student jumpers. Student gear is usually larger in size and more forgiving than an experienced jumper’s gear, which is smaller and quicker. It’s also required by the USPA that students jump only in permitting weather conditions and clear open landing areas.