If I read between the lines of your response correctly, is it in fact the case that filing a VFR Flight Plan does not guarantee any reliable extent of "flight following" from ATCO (?) and that I really ought to be telling someone (friend, relative, etc) the essential details about my flight (waypoints, EET) since they would be the ones who, in essence would be noticing I didn't show up around the expected time?
Not being ATC qualified, I'm not in a position to make a definitive judgement on that but I think it makes sense to do whatever one can to look out for one's own safety. Obviously, if flying VFR you may choose not to get, or be unable to get in-flight following. I've had this happen a few times in the north west of UK.
The "responsible person", if not of an aviation background, should be briefed on what action to take if you become overdue. In reality, this would possibly "kick-start" the system into action more quickly. If you had also submitted an accurate, written flight plan, it would be retrieved and the route you took is then quickly available to the SAR system.
