One thing many fearful fliers are unaware of is all the regulations that impact passenger safety. Aviation regulations are divided into categories like part-91 which is for general aviation & leisure fliers, part- 135 for charter companies, & part 121 which is for major airlines companies. There are books full of regulations, but I will discuss a few important ones that pertain to the general public . By having a little understanding of some regulations it can help you reduce some flying anxiety. First off, the FAA is the main government body that creates new regulations for aviation. The NTSB is just an investigation body of the government. They give recommendations, but have no control of policy & regulations. The airlines use 121 regulations which are more stricter then 91, or 135. One regulation that is a good safety measure is the amount fuel you must carry in bad weather. 121 regulations state that a flight must have enough fuel to fly one approach in bad weather, then fly to it's alternate airport (which is a back up airport) then fly for additional 45 minutes of flying time for all domestic flying. This is a good safety rule to prevent running out of food. However, most pilots I know are more conservative & will carry even more fuel then the FAA requires. There's a famous saying in aviation taught at flight schools. There are two things in aviation that is totally worthless one being the extra fuel you didn't get & the other is the runway you left behind. Basically, it reminds pilots to always put on extra fuel then what is needed for any unanticipated events such as a previous aircraft that landed with an blown tire that causes a delay on the runway. The second rule of thumb is to always use the longest runway available. This could make a big difference rather you could successfully abort a takeoff & come to a full stop, or go off the end of the runway. Another important 121 regulation is for new pilots. If a new captain has just finished training then restrictions are place on them. For example, the new captain has a ceiling restriction & visibility restriction on how low an approach they can make in bad weather. Once they reach 100 flight hours as captain then the restriction is lifted. One restriction for new first officers is that they can't make a crosswind landing in excess of 15 knots. There are a lot of other restrictions too. These are just a few important regulations.