For IFR that is what you do, you have to make it to your alternate.
However, please understand that these are minumum regulations. It is
not (and should not) be the case that if you follow every reg you will
never die. Be thankful, very thankful that the FAA allows us enough
decision making room to make our own decisions and does not regulate us
down to nothing. There are times when I've takin my plane around the
pattern to warm up the oil and not had much more than 30 minutes of
fuel, that's ok, the FAA says I can make that decision.
Don't get pulled into the "there ought to be a law" type thinking. In
reality "there ought to be a PIC" and keep the gov't at bay.

-Robert, CFI
Screw the village, it takes a parent to raise a child.