Critique of: Crash Risk in General Aviation

Recently, Larry Dighera asked:

What is your feeling about my disclosing the hazard statistic for VFR
into IMC for un-rated/not-current pilots?

As a response to the JAMA article, I would think it is of limited value.
As mentioned in my other reply, the underlying issue is bad decision
making. Truly accidental VFR into IMC should be a rarity, and there few
valid excuses for continuing into IMC while under VFR (I can't think of
one, but allowing for the possibility that someone else can).

If one sets out in weather that is so marginal, good decision making would
dictate having an "out" should the weather degenerate into IMC. The "out"
that VFR pilots are taught for accidental entry into IMC is the standard
180° turn to exit the IMC. Of course, that presumes that such a turn will
get you out of the IMC, which may not be the case if the IMC pops up all
around you. However, such a circumstance should be extremely rare, and the
conditions that could lead to that event is typically knowable prior to
takeoff. I'm sure you can see my bent... most of the fatal GA accidents
are the result of bad decisions, and the statistics clearly support that
notion.

Neil