Mxsmanic wrote in
:

But you don't have to be able to fly a plane safely, as so many
accidents prove.

You have to be able to demonstrate that you can fly a plane safely before
getting your certificate. That is the stated detailed mission of the
Practical Test Standards.

The accidents only prove that human beings don't always do what they can.
Perhaps they encounter situations that are beyond their control and/or
capability, perhaps they make mistakes, or perhaps they are arrogant cowboys
and decide they can do what they want.

The same could be said about automobile accidents. The holder of a driver's
license has demonstrated that the s/he can drive safely and is aware of the
basic rules. And yet, the idea that those rules can be broken is so
institutionalized, the government has produced a "point" system that allows
drivers to be CAUGHT as many as 12 times before their privileges are taken
away. The system is so institutionalized that some believe certain speed
zones have been installed not for safety, but for revenue production.

The same cannot be said of airspace safety.