The point of having it in the type system is not just to force you to check it. It is also to clearly document where you need to check it, and just as important

The point of having it in the type system is not just to force you to check it. It is also to clearly document where you need to check it, and just as important, where you don't. Without it, you don't have that "this is guaranteed to exist at this point" indication that can actually reduce the overall number of checks in practice.