I used to knew a young woman whose family owned & operated a skydiving center. Once she was decently over 25 (fully adult judgment, supposedly), she never jumped again.
Motorbikes are dangerous; people often die riding. For many people the risks exceeds the rewards, and they choose not to ride. Other people have a greater appetite for risk, and choose to live until they die.
I myself refuse to strap on ice skates (or rollerblades) having had 20 titanium screws put into my arm after falling on the ice. But I knew the risk I was getting into when I got onto the ice.
I can't remember a time when looking stupid stopped me from doing something. Perhaps that's just my natural state.
Though in addition I also wear snowboarding wrist guards which aren't a common piece of safety attire on the ice but I just can't risk my wrists. With gloves on they aren't that noticeable either though, just looks like I'm wearing long gloves from a distance.
> I wish it was more socially acceptable to ice skate recreationally with safety gear.
However, I am sympathetic to your concerns. One idea: Find a lake or river that is frozen and go skating with a friend that also wears safety equipment. You will feel less social embarrassed for being the only ones with safety equipment.
For motorcycle riding, that includes staying away from dangerous situations like bad weather, bad drivers, etc.
I can't find the statistics right now but seem to remember that the main source of fatalities is young men (< 25 years) on crotch rockets and alcohol. If you ride a sensible bike and stay sober, motorcyclists are only 3 times as likely to die as automobile drivers.
By what metric? They kill way more than anything mentioned in this entire thread
On the other hand, I didn't start really living my life until I nearly died.
Maybe because I did that first, skydiving was less interesting to me.
Falling out of the plane, there was just a strong blast in my face. None of the "stomach drop" you get from the free fall rides at amusement parks, no sense of speed. Grounds approaching, but you're so high up its not approached THAT fast.
Anyway, never again.
That said, I do ride motorcycles. I have for a long, long time. Well versed in the statistics of riding, well aware of what I can and can't control. Aware of my efforts at mitigating those things that I do not control.
I "know" it's a riskier activity, I do not perceive it as risky, but I do respect the situation. That said, I have a saying. I love motorcycling, I do not recommend it to anyone. It IS dangerous. It's especially dangerous to new riders. There is a learning curve, where the lessons can be painful, expensive, or worse.
I do not ride to experience "risk", I don't "push the envelope", I have "chicken strips" on my tires. My bike has a "performance" mode, I do not use it. But I do love riding. It's a true joy in my life.
People go on the most dangerous motorbike trials after gaining a lot of experience, and training a lot. Moreover, they won't do it unless they've used the equipment before, know it well, they tend to prepare everything themselves, and test it themselves beforehand, etc. They are experts, and take full responsibility.
In this case, someone who had never sky-dived before, went to center where he wasn't expected to prepare the parachute, understand the mechanics, test or operate any of the equipment themselves. A "professional" would do it— as makes sense. So it really is upsetting when it turns out, as per the verdict, that the "professional" was actually not properly trained.
There are risks to everything, but the reason there's tight regulation and licensing for life-threatening industries is that those of us who aren't experts should at least hope our lives are in the hands of someone doing their best effort to ensure safety.
Going to a hospital to have surgery done on me, and doing the surgery myself are two very different decisions. I agree with you. I certainly have no reason to be upset if I cut myself open and end up with a nasty infection. If this happens at a hospital, and I later learn it not only happens often, but the surgeon isn't properly certified to do surgery, I have reasons to be upset.
Parachutes are typically sized according to weight to manage rate of descent, so the extra weight shouldn't be an issue. Given the context I wonder if the military just calibrates around faster rate of descent because it's risky to stay in the air too long.
It ain't just the weight. Military jump situations are seldom optimized for joint safely - jumping at night, landing on rough terrain, etc. And neither military culture nor hostile defending forces encourage a "if you think you might have injured a joint, then remain in place and signal for medical attention..." approach.
(My cousin served from the later 70's to early 10's, mostly in the 5th Special Forces Group. Plenty of action, but rather tight lipped on details - as he should be.)
What insurers don't like is someone who throws off their "books" unexpectedly.
I don't know about motorcycle racing, but scuba and private aviation are plenty insurable. $1M 20 year term life goes for ~$100/mo if you're a younger pilot. There will be a somewhat smaller set of insurers to choose from, and a couple of outliers who try to charge you way more.
Not to be a shill, but I always use World Nomads Travel Insurance when I travel for scuba diving. It is simple to apply online and pay with a credit card. They have two levels of travel insurance: one for low risk activities, and another for higher risk activities, such as scuba diving.