Captain Stable
It is a fact of life that the safer you make something the more layed back people become about hurting themselves.
The old joke about sticking explosives on each corner of a car and how much more aware drivers would be
We have all these gismos which can make you feel more secure so someone who thinks " I have got TCAS, I have got FLARM, I have got good radar coverage is more likely to be comfortable with his head glued to the charts, books or internal workings than someone who has nothing.
In someways the more abundant use of auropilots or wing levelers is encouraging pilots to be passengers with the aircraft carrying them around the sky while they chat or even do the crossword on long sectors (Yes quite a common pastime)
I often wonder how much the autopilot used on VFR machines contributes to collisions by detaching pilots from what they should be doing IE flying and seeing where they are going? Just imagine how car accidents would increase if the driver could let go of the controls and allow an autopilot to drive his car. Imagine the detachement and boredom that would arise?
There are danger areas where the vertical or horizontal airspace is limited and a multitude of flying machines are packed. What is the answer? All you can do is to encourage pilots to look out especially in those collision danger areas. Yes use aids, give your passengers a game of spot the aircraft
and fly at levels others arent likely to choose like 1750 feet instead of 2000 feet or 2500 feet instead of 2400 feet aound London
Otherwise mandate every flying object to have a working transponder.
Pace