It's a good question, how safe is gliding?
I've done a paragliding beginner course and have 20 flights under my belt. Just enough to know I don't know much (eg. XC flying). I had a great experience and will go forward with it, but it's not kiting. Limited wind range and no quick release are stand out differences.
I'm much more comfortable with a kite-the timing, handling, etc It's all become second nature. I own a kitesurfing school and have been teaching for about five years. Long enough to see a lot of unnecessary mishaps due to a lot of reasons- gear failure due to neglect, poor understanding of wind/ weather patterns and just plain o'l poor judgement account for most accidents.
It's fair to say gliding is for experts only and most of them are crossing over from paragliding/ getting into paragliding. So, with experience comes safety and you can rule out the above mentioned causes of accidents.. But the question remains, is kitesurfing gear safe enough for gliding? In my opinion, in the right conditions and with the right gear the answer is yes. However, you really do need a pro level understanding of the gear and conditions to make a sound judgement. IMO, there is huge alpine touring potential with kites that hasn't really caught on yet. Currently planning a trip to the 'Blow Me Down Mountains' in Newfoundland, Canada. Will see what trouble I can get into!
The best line in this discussion is that flying with a kite is not a fashion if you think it's too dangerous then don't do it.
Cheers,
Gavin