Not only does this give me the clearance through instrument conditions if they should be encountered, but assists in separation from VFR traffic. Best of all, this assures me that someone knows my exact location at all times in case of a problem. Now that we are speaking of the unspeakable, everyone always expresses some concern about flying single engine aircraft over water. I too once got the bug to trade airplanes and move up to a twin, after all, I reasoned, I was doing a lot of flying over water. After a little research in Aviation Safety Reports, I re-learned an old lesson.
Most accidents are due to pilot error or weather.
Said another way, this amounts to one engine failure related fatality per 69,520 flying hours. Your statistics will vary depending upon which aircraft you include in your data, and when you collect it. When you compare six place singles and six place twins, you will find that the total accident rate is slightly higher among the singles, but that the fatal accident rate is slightly higher among the twins. I m not intending to belabor this issue for it has been thoroughly debated in pilot circles. However, my point is, that this debate involves splitting hair.