Sorry to say, but I think we are all biased, tho. The reason is that you guys probably did not know people who are not with us any more. Also, no major dramas like almost not surviving (I did have that, twice).
As said, everything changes after a major crash. The perception of 'safety' changes. Mind you, I already fractured a clavicle kiting, BUT, I do 'extreme' tricks, 10m jumps in 50-70cm flat water, triple front rolls, etc...Number of gear failures, exploded LE, crashes, impacts into objects, collisions, legs wrapped, bla bla
I would be long dead if ANY of this happened with a pg or ppg.
Let me illustrate: a person I knew did emergency landing due to a petrol leaking. He landed badly, caught in fire and...That was it. 1000+ hours. Yes, this can happen in a car, but we discussing ppg.
Other person I knew from Perth, 2000+ hours landed badly, the end. The passenger survived with no injuries. Third person blacked out, due to a mild cold or ear infection (they think), while doing a spiral into the ground. Some would say, know your limits. Well, one strong loop or turn might knock you off. 5-10G not uncommon.
Forth, pro rider, 10000+ hours, a national champ, was cut short by unmarked power lines. Safe as you make it? Can't plan for unknown. And, it is almost always landing. A young guy died in Perth half a year ago, landing on parking badly.
My buddies, tandem kiting, a strap failed on a brand new pg, they spiraled with no chance to throw a chute, landed semi gently on trees. If that was the ground, both would end life there. The gear can and it will fail. This was recorded on a vid and analysed after.
All my pg buddies moved on or not flying any more after 20 years or so. Some are flying gliders, some are in kiting, some in sailing. Gliders in particular are cheap since most are close to the big cities. Launch is about 30Euros, for 1-2-3 hours flying that is not bad. In AU, it's cheap as well, it's capped to $60-100 per session I think. Fly as much as you can for that money.
Till now, extremely rare fatalities in kiting (I personally knew one, he was a risk taker as myself). Broken limbs, yes, me included. But that's so common in pg as well, ankles, legs, you name it. The next day after I broke my back, a semi pro broke his back on landing. We were like fcuk, how did that happen...Than, a week after, other semi pro broke his leg. Same hospital, other room
This was when pg was really picking up in numbers. Maybe this days the numbers are somehow low, hence looks more 'safe'.
Just have a look at the King of the Air, none of acrobatics ended in fatalities, I think. Water, even tho it's hard on impact, is still 'softer' than a concrete...