My first 1968 Cutlass (in 1976) I could remove the ignition key with the car running. It made it very handy if I needed to get something out of or into the trunk after I had started the car
Zeke, a major part of the GM ignition switch problem is people with their whole house on their key ring.
Oh and at least two of the drivers in the GM crashes had blood alcohol levels over the legal limit. 4 of the 13 deaths were from one wreck. Doesn't excuse the cover-up that people at GM did about the switch problem, but I suspect much of the issue was operator errors. You'd think the GM people would learn from their history, the botched cover-up of putting Chevy engines into Oldsmobiles in the late '70's comes to mind, but they don't seem to be much into paying attention to history.
In response to the OP, I'm much more worried about some idiot texting or with their dog on their lap (or both) running into me than I am about an ignition switch failure or a stuck gas pedal.