We have within our structure subsystems that are fragile, any of which have the potential to cause our death. Our respiratory system does double duty. It is used to oxygenate our blood and enable our verbal communication. We have no backup system in the event of failure. Nature has given us nothing to fall back on as a crutch to keep us going in the event of a minor malfunction.
Respiratory distress is a major cause of death.
It only take a few moments visiting hospital wards to realize that a solution must be found. Millions of people both infant and aged suffer and strangle in their sickbeds gasping for a tiny breath. One tiny wheeze of oxygen to fill their lungs, when a better engineering job could heal them, and send them on their way. By combining these two uses, nature has given us a tripwire to our own destruction. The path to our lungs is intersected with the path to our digestive systems.