The new issue of Scientific American (Oct 2006) includes the following little factlet on page 18:
A better understanding of the real risk of terrorism could help defeat efforts to instill fear and provoke an excessive response. Even including catastrophic events such as 9/11, the odds of the average American being a victim of terrorism in the air or elsewhere in a given year is roughly one in 500,000, experts have calculated. Comparatively, Americans face a roughly one in 6,500 chance of dying in a car accident within a given year, according to census data. "When my friends ask me, 'What can I do to travel more safely?' I tell them to drive really carefully to the airport," says Brian Michael Jenkins of the Rand Corporation.Posted by jt at September 18, 2006 06:16 PM