I reckon the PIFR is a good thing........the intent behind it is good...........but it's not pushed by the schools, probably because most of the newbie instructors reckon it's for wimps.
There maybe truth in that but a lot of newbie instructors are not qualified to teach that stuff and don't have either a PIFR or CIR themselves anyway.
I find the hurdle that puts a lot of folk off is also the exam and obtaining decent ground training without just being left with Thom or Tait to entertain yourself night after night. Self study is not an easy way to motivate youself. There just is no the demand for viable class sizes in most schools. Some schools are insisting on the IREX, even for PIFR, which is a massive overkill in my view.
It's really not that difficult for a VFR PPL to learn and maintain a skill to keep their aeroplane the right way up in cloud for an emergency situation and be able to climb to a safe height where they can get some help. But they have to be first motivated and taught to do that. I'm not suggesting they could be shooting ILSs down to minima every trip of course... But the worst thing we can do when we have inadvertently strayed into the poo and its down below the hill tops is be in amongst it, desperately trying to stay visual. Yes, VFR pilots do need to learn to stay well away from that situation, but when we get 'sucked in', perhaps by get-home-itis or a unforecast weather situation, there are very few options other than hoping on a wing and a prayer that we can stay visual. In too many cases, that continues to prove impossible.