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I've read this data before, in Rain of Iron and Ice, and while I'm in favor of a comprehensive detection program, this seems to me to be an example of the third type of lie.

Disraeli / Twain: "there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

Table. Chances of dying from selected causes (USA)

Cause of death Chances

Motor vehicle accident 1 in 100

Homicide 1 in 300

Fire 1 in 800

Firearms accident 1 in 2,500

Electrocution 1 in 5,000

Asteroid/comet impact 1 in 20,000

Passenger aircraft crash 1 in 20,000

Flood 1 in 30,000

Tornado 1 in 60,000

Venomous bite or sting 1 in 100,000

Fireworks accident 1 in 1 million

Food poisoning by botulism 1 in 3 million

Drinking water with EPA limit of tricholoethylene 1 in 10 million

(From C.R. Chapman & D. Morrison, 1994, Nature 367, 33-40.)

Table. Chances of dying from selected causes (USA)
Cause of death	Chances
Motor vehicle accident	1 in 100
Homicide	1 in 300
Fire	1 in 800
Firearms accident	1 in 2,500
Electrocution	1 in 5,000
Asteroid/comet impact	1 in 20,000
Passenger aircraft crash	1 in 20,000
Flood	1 in 30,000
Tornado	1 in 60,000
Venomous bite or sting	1 in 100,000
Fireworks accident	1 in 1 million
Food poisoning by botulism	1 in 3 million
Drinking water with EPA limit of tricholoethylene	1 in 10 million
(From C.R. Chapman & D. Morrison, 1994, Nature 367, 33-40.)

So if I am reading this chart correctly, there is just as much chance of dying from an Asteroid/Comet Impact as there is of dying in a Passenger Aircraft Crash.

According to the NTSB (report here), there were in 2006 (latest figures available) 50 fatalities recorded for US air carriers.

Where does one look for numbers on asteroid / comet impact fatalities?