If you had asked the same question about airlines 100 years ago... [0]

"At the urging of the aviation industry, that believed the airplane could not reach its full commercial potential without federal action to improve and maintain safety standards,[citation needed] President Calvin Coolidge appointed a board to investigate the issue. The board's report favored federal safety regulation.[10] To that end, the Air Commerce Act became law on May 20, 1926.[11]"

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_government_role_...