What's scarier, the flu or terrorism?

Killer 7
This LA Times article explains why many people misjudge the severity of dangers: psychology and evolution.
And it's true: we're infinitely more likely to die in an automobile accident than in an Al Qaeda attack. But we wouldn't spend the Iraq billions on road safety. That's odd: none of the top 20 killers in the US is wanted by the FBI. Worse, before looking it up, I had no clue what "nephritis" is (and a "malignant neoplasm", is that like dying because you say 'white snow'?).
It's hard to solve this problem. Maybe responsible, well-informed politicians (stop laughing) should use statistics rather than the world's latest panic attack to plan ahead.