BUT, night vision and thermals have only been legal for the past couple of years. Prior to that it was no light, thermals, or night vision for many years and I don't know of a single incident that occurred during that time frame.
You are correct and I agree with you. I also am not aware of an accident related to night hunting predators.
However, I don't recall seeing any other predator hunters out and about at night while I was hunting without lights. I know I wasn't the only one doing it, but I don't think there were near as many out then as there are now. As the number of hunters increases, the likelihood for accidents also increases. We can help curb some potential accidents by limiting hunting practices that aren't among the safest available.
The only times I hunted at night without the use of lights was under a bright moonlit sky with snow on the ground...light conditions that are often better than first and last legal shooting hours for big game. Visibility at night with a half full (or more) moon and snow on the ground, even without artificial light, is better than with a 6v red light with no moon and/or snow. As such, I don't believe colored lights are a safe alternative to hunting under a full moon or using night vision or thermal.
I have formed these opinions based on substantial first hand experience night hunting predators with and without the use of artificial light. I stand by those opinions and I will respectfully agree to disagree and wait to see what happens if this bill is enacted into law.