William Boeing decided to build his own plane when he crashed a sea plane his friend bought for him. In today's world, his actions would be considered "quite savage."
William Boeing then built his first, man-made aircraft and "BOEING," was born.
Although the risk of being involved in a aircraft related injury or death is extremely low, Boeing made it an objective to reduce piloting stress on pilots by taking specific tasks associated with piloting an aircraft making it automated.
Boeing recently introduced its 787-9 which is capable of landing itself with no error in nearly all conditions. Although pilot supervision is still required, the automation allows for fewer errors, and a less overall risk.