Mitch wrote:
Sadly, the little utility of ELTs and similar devices must suggest
something more disturbing for me: that almost nobody survive crashes,
even low energy/shallow ones..

Michele
That's just wrong. There are lots of us walking around.
Glider ELTs weren't in widespread use then but save for the randomness
of the universe, I could have died from exposure 50 yards from a mall
parking lot. Unheard, unseen and unseeable.

Safety features by definition have limited utility. The same could be
said about safety harnesses and my never used airbags. There are no
absolutes but there are consequences to one's decision making here.