A big reason for going to many public sporting events is the excitement – or even danger – which makes them such a great spectacle.
But, after tragic incidents at the weekend, Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has ordered a safety inquiry into public events, and especially motor sport.
Sometimes, the line between excitement and danger is blurred. We have all seen spectators huddled beside a track as speeding cars, motorbikes, horses and even ski-iers go hurtling past.
And we love to take our kids because of the sheer excitement.
There is often a hair’s breadth between success and failure and it is down to the skill of competitors, and safety rules in place, that horrific incidents involving the crowd are averted.
There are tragic exceptions from time to time. Such a case was at the Jim Clark Rally in the Scottish Borders on Saturday afternoon, where three people died and two other men are in hospital with serious injuries after crashes.
There were also extraordinary scenes at a moto-cross rally in Elgin recently, where nine people ended up in hospital and 10 more were walking wounded.
This is already under investigation by the sport’s governing body.
We don’t want to become a nanny state. How far would this lead us? We can’t ban people from taking part in, or spectating at, every potentially-dangerous sport.
However, at large public events it is wise that certain safety standards are applied and that everyone is following them – without diluting the excitement. We would all be the first to complain if we thought they had cut corners on safety.