[DaveParkCity]

I think it is failure to differentiate between moments of risk with safety margin and risk without safety margin (or with substantially reduced margin) that puts most people in danger.

We tend to look at overall "risk of dying doing a sport" and fail to maintain awareness to identify these specific moments.

For example, our family wakesurfs on Lake Tahoe. My wife considers boating and wakesurfing pretty safe. However, in June the water temp is 53 degrees F. If our boat sinks 3 miles offshore and nobody sees it, life jackets will not save anyone. The boat sinking that fast is unlikely, but it is possible. I consider that an unacceptable unmitigated risk, and ask her to stay near shore when she drives.. yet she never does, and when i scold her she thinks im nagging and annoying.

While i'm not a pilot, i've been up with private pilots, taken hang gliding lessons, done tandem skydives, ride motorcycles, dirt bikes, ski a ton, backcountry ski..

..i don't consider any of these activities to be "safe" or "unsafe" overall.. i consider moments of low safety margin to be dangerous and to be understood, treated with extra care and mitigated or avoided as much as possible.