when I was saving up money for my first flying lessons ( or nearly so) there had been a number of tragic CFITS all caused by pilots NOT keeping situational awareness and BLINDLY following ATC instructions or situations of not understanding TERRAIN AWARENESS.
I remember one light plane vectored into the mountains near burbank, ca.
one near salinas ca.
dean martin (singer) 's son flying an F4 into a mountain range near Palm Springs
Frank Sinatra's mother killed while flying in a chartered (guess) Lear taking off out of palm springs
and the big daddy, the TWA flight near DULLES . Aterptster knows that one.
One must know where one is.
One must know where the terrain is.
There are many ways to do this and it is effort of the mind.