Pat,
I am surprised that you can make the bold statement that this accident 'would not have happened' without the instrument awareness training.
That may be your opinion, but that does not make it a fact.
Do you have the accident stats to show that inadvertent IMC accidents have increased since the introduction of the 5 hours IF, because pilots now think they can handle it?
I have posted previously that it has been my experience that students actually become acutely aware of how difficult it is to fly on instruments, even in simulated IMC, and this tends to make them more cautious.
Obviously this will not always be the case, and there may be those who may think they are better equipped to press on when they shouldn't.
Thoughts from other instructors on this?