I don't really know how to respond to the San Fran analogy other than to say that even with Korea's not so stellar safety record, it is far and away better than GA's safety record. I would submit that excellent training combined with the tremendous technological and reliability advances have allowed commercial flying to become very safe when compared to other modes of transport.
In the same breath, I understand your desire to have some control. I've owned several sports cars and each was equipped with a stick. There's something about resting your hand on the shifter and feeling gears in motion. My guess is that you've had good training and have made up your mind that you aren't going to make bad decisions that could jeopordize you and your passengers. Unfortunately, it is also true that many GA pilots, for whatever reason, don't make good choices. Does automation make it safer? Depends on what context we are speaking. For commercial, I say yes. It requires the PIC and his/her crew to be very regimented, a good thing when defying gravity. For GA...not so much. If used properly combined with sound decisions, GA safety numbers should improve. But until pilots take gravity more seriously, GA will have a very difficult time getting its safety record on the upswing.
David