Sorry, but it sounds like you have little familiarity and no experience with competition acro. There are five categories of varying difficulty and complexity - from Citabrias doing basic loops and Cubans at 3500' AGL to Unlimited monoplanes pulling 10G under 500' AGL. Competition acro has an extremely good safety record. I'm only aware of two fatalities occurring during a contest since the inception of IAC in 1972. One was a structural failure about 40 years ago involving a Stits airplane not really designed for acro, and the other was Vicki Cruse who experienced a mechanical problem with the rudder pedal extensions in her Edge 540 during a 2009 flight at Worlds. In the past 10 years, I know of three other fatalities occurring during competition acro practice - two control system failures (Harmon Rocket and MX-S) and a Canadian crossover spin fatality in a Pitts S-1S, which was a training/experience issue. The sport is very structured and safety oriented. So when I hear people who have no experience with the sport spreading misconceptions (I've seen this countless times), I try to provide direct experience and accurate information. There is a lot of value in hooking up with your local IAC chapter to take advantage of the experience available. 'Assimilate' into the culture of safe aerobatics.
That being said, there are multiple factors that contribute to aerobatic safety. Training is number one. Aerobatic spin training is very important. Going up with the local CFI for a few spins in a 172 doesn't come close to cutting it. Attitude is important. So is altitude. The pilots who stay alive in the long run are the ones who don't fly at altitudes insufficient for their skill level. The unwaivered legal acro floor is 1500' AGL, which is too low for many pilots, depending on the maneuvering.
It's important to separate low level airshow accidents from aerobatics in general. I pay close attention to all aerobatic accidents. Airshows aside, by far the leading cause of acro fatalities is failed maneuvers at an altitude insufficient for recovery...or insufficient for their skill level. A large percentage of the crashes I've seen involve some type of low level snap roll, spin, or tumble. There have been lots of spin accidents over the years which could have been prevented with advanced acro spin training. Aerobatic spin training has come a long way in the past 40 years.
A small percentage of accidents are attributable to engine failures, with an ever smaller percentage being airframe/control system failures and medical/physiological issues. Good maintenance is very important for acro planes. I also like to fly acro over a spot where I could make a safe emergency landing if needed. For me, the chute is for catastrophic airframe failure. Bailing out is not without significant risk.
Don't fly if you're sick or dehydrated, and be careful of certain medications and how they may affect you. IAC ran a story in the magazine about a young Pitts pilot who lost his life flying after a bout of sickness and dehydration. This severely limits G-tolerance, and he lost consciousness and crashed during what would have otherwise been a normal flight for him.
It goes without saying that aerobatics shouldn't be performed in aircraft not suitable for whatever maneuver you wish to perform. Don't make the Darwin list. There is no such thing as safe or unsafe. But nearly all aerobatic pilots who have the right training and attitude live a long life and die of non-flying causes.
