Aviation safety rests on the shoulders not only of the air travel industry, but also the passengers themselves. All passengers should assume reasonable responsibility when it comes to their and other passenger's safety on board an airplane. There are fairly reasonable steps everyone can carry out to contribute to a safer flight. Passengers should follow the instructions of the crew and not take any unnecessary risk while in flight. The mechanical and structural safety is the responsibility of the airline and asking questions is within your rights as a passenger. Again, the Federal Aviation Administration has guidelines which must be followed by the airlines to ensure safety of the plane and passengers. The American airline companies with the most fatal incidents since 1970 are United and American Airlines. It should be noted, however, that they are also the airlines that have had the most flights in those years so the odds increase.