With no IMC, rating more people will be killed chancing their arm in marginal weather, due to the lack of training.
Perhaps this says more about the attitude to safety than the perceived improvement in safety conferred by an IR or IMC Rating.
If it is winter time with the freezing level below the MSA, please explain how IMC flight in a non-deiced aircraft is going to be any less dangerous than flying below cloud.
I believe that in such a case the only safe option would be to remain on the ground.
Brendan.