Not really what you said Paul, the statement was going for a bimble in nice weather is incredibly safe... the accident figures don't agree with you, in fact it is just the sort of flight where people 'feel' safe, don't plan fully and end up as a statistic. But then I'm a fool so it doesn't matter much.
Take that paragraph out on it's own, yes, but it's important that it's paired with the other paragraph that followed it. I.e.
"McDonalds is responsible for obesity in this country and also for deforestation around the world to make room for cattle farms"
"Turn to any newspaper and the above is an idea you'll often see printed"
Take that 1st paragraph and you get a very skewed view of what the piece in it's entirety is saying. I still stand by what I posted. Flying in CAVOK, for a short period of time, is incredibly safe when compared to flying in thunderstorms.
The interesting question though is, is flying safer than other hobbies and interests ? I am curious to know if it's more dangerous than motorcycle riding. My gut feeling is it's less dangerous, but not being a health and safety bod, or somebody that works for insurance and looks at the risks involved I don't know.