That was my first reaction: the title could be better rephrased "I can't figure out how space flight will be safer than modern aviation". I'll eat my hat if that turns out to be true.

But, we're going to run out of steam with technology at some point. In this modern world it feels like progress is the only constant, but eventually, we're actually going to run up against physical limits and figure out optimal configurations of atoms for particular tasks.

In other words, we're on an S curve, but it looks very exponential from our perspective.

Of course, I'd be shocked if the optimal configuration of atoms for launching humans in to space ever has a fatality, without being caused by some kind of event that also wipes out earth in the process.

In other words, in the long run, it's well worth the risk trying to get off of the planet, because the planet is doomed.