I and many many others hold that TSA inspections at airports are in essence theater, striving to assure the flying public that air travel to and from the US is as safe as, say, driving a car. So limiting your carry-on liquid containers to 3 oz. or less in size makes a substantial difference, right? Or having your shoes inspected? And now maybe your underwear? I think not.

So what are the real risks that a flight in a commercial jetliner will become a suicide mission? Think about these numbers, compiled by Nate Silver of fivethirtyeight.com and designed by Jesus Diaz of gizmodo.com:

As Mark Frauenfelder at boingboing.net says:

Maybe the new TSA rules will decrease the odds of being a terrorism victim from 1 in 10,408,947 to 1 in 10,408,948. Let’s hope so!