I am terrified of flying. Just how safe are airplanes nowadays?

Question

I fly a lot. But everytime before I even get in that plane my heart already starts racing, and once in there I start sweating and breathing heavy. I know everyone says airplanes are safer than cars, but whenever there's any turbulance I think I'm gonna die and my whole body just starts tightening up. So just how safe are airplanes? Any answer will make me feel better.

Answer 1

Yes, airplanes are safer than cars.  Do you know how many fatal accidents there are with cars every year?  Thousands and thousands in the U.S. alone.  Do you know how many fatal plane crashes there are every year?  So few that almost every one of them gets shown on the national news on TV.  Sometimes, they even show plane crashes from other countries, they are so rare.  

If they showed every car crash on TV, there would have to be an all car crash channel on cable.  I bet even if they kept the coverage short on each crash and had few commercials, they still wouldn't get all the wrecks covered in a year.

If people flew in planes more often than they do (most people only go a couple times a year at the most unless they are traveling salespeople, celebrities or politicians) they would be less afraid of planes than they are of riding in cars.  Cars are much more dangerous.  I live in Las Vegas and in this town there are car accidents with injuries almost every day.

Yes, turbulence is a bit scary in a plane but 99.9% of the time, they pull out of it just fine.  Don't worry.

Answer 2

Very safe. Especially nowadays, safety precautions are more strict than ever. Thousands and thousands of people fly everyday. You'll be fine. :)