Tony wrote
It's been a long time since I studied the stats, but I seem to recall
GA on a per mile basis was safer than a motorcycle, less safe than a
car. (GA accidents divided by GA miles flown, vs motorcycle accidents
divided by motocycle miles, and so forth). ...

It seems to me that I'm MUCH safer in the air than on the ground. Take a
trip I make frequently: Denver to Salt Lake City. It's about a 500 mile
drive and I feel I have to be alert every second to stay on the road and
avoid other vehicles, etc. When I fly it's only the few minutes while on the
ground, taking off and landing that require similar alertness. I cruise for
minutes -- tens of minutes -- at a time completely relaxed while enjoying
the scenery and occasionally, eh, constantly watching for traffic.

Since the real danger is in the airport environment, I think fatalities per
mile flown are meaningless. The risk is the same whether I fly 5 miles or
500 miles with one landing.

Jon