We can. For a useful analogy consider the U.S. highway system. I live in the south, and a number of areas have a 70 mph speed limit. Including some that, years ago, had a 55 mph limit. I suspect if one were to implement (& effectively enforce) a new federal law making the max. speed limit anywhere in the U.S. 40 mph, highway fatalities would go down significantly. People would have more time to react to spontaneous situations (e.g.: kid runs out in the road), collisions would involve less momentum/force, etc...
But I don't want a universal 40 mph speed limit. Apparently most don't. Even though it would very likely save lives. Even though I, or a loved one, might be amongst the body count we pay for higher speed limits.
That said, some time back I saw a program indicating Texas considered a 90 mph speed limit, but the breaking distance and potential for loss of control of a vehicle, IIRC, were concerns. So there's a point where we act, and a point where we don't.
Actions to reduce accidents have a 'cost.' Could be bothersome (e.g.: mandatory check list, boat crew enforced), expensive and time consuming (e.g.: AOW required for this trip) or outright exclusionary (e.g.: we ban asthmatics, diabetics & people over 50 from diving).
Neither the U.S. highway or scuba hobby fatality rates are going to stay at zero. You can be ever mindful emerging technologies/techniques may offer new, practical, low-cost ways to cut into risk...but that preserving assess to the hobby and reasonable individual liberty means we're going to accept some deaths.
The mindset I'm concerned about comes from observing the influence of some regulatory agencies on business policy. It goes something like this - bad things aren't supposed to happen. When one does, 'something more' should've been done to prevent it. We must now enact a new, burdensome policy with a new requirement so in theory the bad thing won't happen again (it will). If we don't, the regulators will get us. That mindset can be a productive tool in the hands of the wise, or a red tape machine in the hands of fools (or people afraid of regulatory fools).
Richard.
