How safe is flying?

If there"s anyone left who fears airline travel, the International Air Transport Association"s 2011 accident rate should be reassuring - at least if you travel in Western-built jets.

It says last year"s accident rate for Western-built jets was the lowest in history. It was at a rate of 0.37, which is the equivalent of one accident every 2.7 million flights, according to IATA. This was even better than 2010, when it was 0.61 or one accident for every 1.6 million flights.

"Flying is extremely safe," said AirlineReporter.com. "But with all the attention always given to airline safety, one would think planes are falling out of the sky constantly."

Here are statistics for the number of deaths in the US each year for 2009:'¨---All Deaths: 2,436,682---Heart Disease: 598,607---Alzheimer"s: 78,889'¨---Diabetes: 68,705---All Transportation related deaths: 39,057'¨---Auto accident deaths: 36,284'¨---Deaths from falls: 24,834'¨---Homicide: 16,591'¨---Accidental drowning: 3,539'¨---Hernias: 1,821'¨---Tornados: 550'¨---US Troops in Iraq: 149'¨---Lightning: 34---'¨Dog Attack: 32

And what about airline deaths?

Last year, there were 45. There were none in the previous two years.

"For me, that is amazing. More people died from accidental drowning in 2009 alone versus all the people who have died from airlines in the US since 1982. Now, the big question: why is so much attention given to airline related deaths?" asks Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren at the site.

By David Wilkening