Is our hobby really SAFE ?

Hello again dear friends,
I didn't planned to write these lines now, but I read about a tragedy that happened this week, on Thursday, when a fellow RC pilot, named Roman Pirozek Jr. was killed by his own Rc helicopter during a flight in a public park in New York city(Calvert Vaux Park in Gravesend, Brooklyn)...I was thinking maybe daily about what could happen during flying, and this thought is hiding all the time in the back of my mind, troubling me...

My honest and sincere condoleances to the mourning family, and as a parent myself, I can't think of something worse on this world than seeing your child die before your eyes...But now, even if maybe some of you will argue about this and disagree,  I would not fly anything bigger than a 450 class in a public park, assuming there are no people nearby...Bigger birds( and I assume he flew one) should not be flown in other places that flying fields, to minimize the risks on public...Just imagine that the heli could have fallen on someone just having a walk with his family in the park...This thought is just real...Again, these things are NOT TOYS...They can be deadly...To be honest, I think also a 450 size heli carbon blade at 100% RPM could easily cut your throat open, leading to certain death...
So, just hoping that the following compilation of personal safety rules could help avoiding a tragedy or any type of rc heli accident, I will just lie down a summary of the rules I use when flying my helis:

1. Always connect transmitter first and helicopter second;
2. Always, I mean ALWAYS, use Throttle Hold(TH) whenever you don't plan to take off, but the battery has to be plugged in;
3. Always hit TH and then remove the battery no matter what;
4. If you loose the heli and there's no way to recover, hit TH ASAP;
5. If you fly a flybarless heli, always tilt the heli and check for the FBL compensations before taking off;
6. Always land ASAP if you see or feel something is "not right" or you hear any strange noise;
7. Regularly maintain your heli, and lubricate whatever needs that to be done;
8. Don't fly the heli over your head, you could loose orientation easily;
9. Don't fly when you are too tired, you need to be very focused when flying;
10. Don't fly when you have any alcohol in your blood, again focus is key when flying;
11. Always try to have someone with you(behind you) in case something bad happens he/she can call for help asap;
12. Don't fly when friends are around, you could push your limits "to impress" and you can make mistakes;
13. Don't push your limits when flying, take normal steps and only when you master it, move on;
14. Always take your time to check the sequence of steps before a flight, sometimes you're rushed to see the heli in the air and forget important things;
15. Maybe the most important rule of all : NEVER FLY OVER PEOPLE or near them....

I am sure some of you have their own lists, and you are welcome to share them here via the comments section...
We all enjoy flying and sometimes just disregard the risks we take, and unfortunately people need to die so that we open our eyes and realize that this hobby is fun but can be also deadly...
Please be responsible and please consider the safety of other people nearby and yourself also...

Life can be beautiful...Let's not waste it...
You can see the full article posted by the nydailynews here

Rest in peace Roman Pirozek Jr. and let's try and stop this count by being more responsible