Open Amazon, and search for something as mundane as plastic bags or trash cans. Notice that their thickness is specified in "mils". How many people make purchasing decisions on those products, for use in their daily lives?
Miles and km are the same, just on the the other end of the scale. A straight magnitude comparison requires no calculation.
The units that people need to perform calculations with are the ones used in measuring for cooking, sewing, home improvement projects, and things of that nature.