Read this yesterday and have spent considerable time pondering the situation. I have always believed that when it comes to this type of legislation/regulation/government intervention, less is better. You can mandate and legislate good sense about safety issues until you are blue but it is impossible to instantaneously make everybody safety conscious and smart. If someone doesn't believe or know there is a serious risk or inherent danger, no amount regulation will change their actions.
IMHO, this tragic death was the result of negligence, ineptitude, or laziness (or any combination thereof) on the part of the instructor. It seems the victim did the smart thing, he signed up for instruction. Even if he was doing something wrong, he was an unknowledgeable newbie, that's why he was in the class. The instructor should have been aware of what was happening. Sadly, he got the wrong instructor.
To me, this is not a legislative/regulatory issue. It is a judicial issue, but that's another topic for discussion.
My sincerest condolences to Mrs. Beauvais on the tragic loss of her husband.