>>> The US plug is uniquely bad in that you can have live contacts exposed on a partially plugged in plug

> Yeah until you have kids. Before GFCI were a code requirement, electrical incidents were a constant source of injuries and fatalities.

Isn't GFCI only required in wet areas (e.g. kitchen and bathroom)? And even if they're not more widely required, code requirements aren't retroactive, so I'd imagine the vast majority of houses will be missing GFCI from a large number of outlets.