I'm always bemused by the angst shown by many over this subject. It reflects how fairly recent changes in our society have changed our appreciation of risk.
I was brought up to be able to drive/ride/fly to my personal limits, or the limits of the vehicle. At the age of 9, I was given an old BSA man's bike with no brakes, to big for me if I sat on the saddle. so I just leaned it over and put one leg through the cross-bar so I could reach the pedals. Rode it for years, saved up my pocket money for brakes and eventually grew legs long enough to ride it in a more conventional sense. At 11, I self learned to ride a motorcycle, on an off-road racer. No helmet, no padding, just wellies and jeans. Went through a few hedges and fell in a few ditches. Still here. Same with horse riding. Just jumped on one and got on with it. No saddle, just a bridle on an unbroken stallion pony (I admit that one hurt; it used to bite us and throw us off). Self learned to drive a four wheeler, again off-road, using a Ferguson Tractor and a discarded Morris van with bald tyres and no brakes. Later, with a provisional car licence and assistance from a pal with a Hillman Imp we used to go out in the Peak District hills every time it snowed, to further our driving skills and understanding of road conditions in the rawest sense. Still here. I was taught glider spin recoveries from a tow-launch at the age of 15, before I was sent solo. Still here. Was taught spin recoveries aged 17 on the pre-PPL syllabus, including recovery from accidental inverted one in a 150 Aerobat (where the engine stopped). More spinning taught in a JP, accidentally lost 10,500 feet one afternoon. Still here. Solo engine offs in a helicopter with a total of 40 hours rotary flying. Later taught spinning myself and maintain that the most important thing is recognising the difference between an incipient spin and a fully developed spin. Difficult to know if you never see it properly.
These days folk are more likely to be mandated to wear a hi-viz jacket and a hard hat, blindly press the button at a Pelican crossing and wait for the green light, but often don't learn to look up the road for themselves before stepping off the pavement.
