How Dangerous is soaring?

Short answer is no one really knows and even if they did it would be
meaningless number.

No one knows because we really don't know how much soaring is done. As
stated in another post we know how many fatal accidents (127 since
1985) But we have no denominator.

It is a meaningless number because even if we knew it, it wouldn't
apply to you. The real question you want to know is "How dangerous
are you?" Soaring more than just about any other sport puts your
individual safety squarely upon your shoulders.

If you really want to know how dangerous Soaring is to you. Go to the
NTSB Site and review those 127 Accidents. How many of those pilots
were doing something you might be doing when they died?

IF you don't fly in the mountains, remove those accidents.
If you don't do Low passes, Remove those Accidents.
IF you don't fly motorgliders, selectively remove those accidents.
IF you don't thermal Low, remove those accidents.
If you don't put yourself in positions where you can't land at
airports, remove those accidents
If you don't put yourself in postions where you don't have good
landing options, remove those accidents.

After doing this every pilot will have a percentage of these Fatal
accidents that could have been them. Maybe they will alter the way the
fly to improve there numbers. The lower the number the Safer Soaring
is for you. If you don't fly obviously this number will be Zero. But
you will still die doing something.

Another way of saying what I said above. Soaring probably is one of
the safest sports around in that if you are hurt it will probably be
your own fault in all but a very few cases.

Brian