PORTLAND, Ore. - The headlines can sound ominous and frightening. The news is filled with stories making it seem like mad cow disease, E. coli or the bird flu are putting people's lives at grave risk.

But the reality is none of us are really dying from those things. The real threats to our lives are much more common and far less dramatic.

So what should we really be afraid of?

According to state death statistics, 30,201 people died in Oregon in 2004, the most recent year statistics were available.

Of those:

• 7,227 died from cancer
• 6,687 died from heart disease
• 2,322 died after having strokes
• 1,770 died from respiratory diseases, such as emphysema and bronchitis

Click here for a breakdown of the leading causes of death by age and gender. 

Number five on the list is what you hear about perhaps the most on the news - accidents. There were 1,423 deaths associated with accidents in 2004.

That included:

• 471 car crashes
• 14 boating accidents
• 10 plane crashes
• 13 train accidents.

Click here to see a graph of the type of transportation people were using when they died.

The next most common deadly accident? A fall. Some 381 people died from taking some kind of spill - slipping, tripping and falling down stairs. Though hard to believe, 17 died from falling out of bed. Three also were killed from falls from a cliff.

Drownings and suicides get a lot of attention in news coverage. In that one year, 59 people drowned and there were 112 homicides. What you hear about less is suicides. In 2004, 555 people chose to take their own lives.

Click here to see where people were when they died.

The state's disease expert, Dr. Mel Kohn, points out that nearly 40 percent of these deaths are preventable. Instead of just looking at cancer, for example, he looks at the behavior leading to it - like smoking - as the real cause of death.

"Looking at what people are really dying from that we can do something about, clearly tobacco, diet and inactivity and alcohol are the top three," he said. 

Some interesting comparisons: Oregon ranks among the highest in the nation for emphysema deaths. And we rank consistently in the top five for neurological deaths such as Alzheimer's disease, ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and Parkinson's disease.

Dr. Kohn said increasing your odds of survival is simple.

"Don't smoke," he said. "Be physically active. Eat a healthy diet low in calories. Keep your weight down, and wear your seat belt. Those would be right at the top of my list. I suppose wash your hands would be one I would add to that too."