One Chart That Shows Flying Is Still The Safest Way To Travel, Period

After any air disaster, people are reminded of the potential dangers of air travel.

And it's understandable why. There's something about hurtling through the atmosphere at hundreds of miles per hour at 37,000 feet in a pressurized tube, strapped onto a couple jet engines burning explosive fuel, that is somewhat unsettling.

But let's put all that behind us and look at the data. When it comes down to it, flying is still the safest way to travel.

Here's a comparison of annual fatalities from major forms of travel in the U.S. courtesy of the Department of Transportation. Flying consistently has the lowest number of annual fatalities.

These numbers are for overall fatalities:

See? That's no so bad.

Flying has become a progressively safer way to travel.

Did you notice that we left something off?

Here's that same chart, with the number of people killed on the road every year added in:

You're probably safest up in the air.