That's pretty well put bubbagates. I will say the BEST reason to start on a trainer is simply, it gives the new pilot more time to think and react. Most new pilots are just a bit behind the plane when they start. A trainer gives a wider margin of time to react to what the plane is doing. The average low wing plane goes exactly where you point it. If you are not on top of it and flying it at all times, there is a GREAT possibility a new pilot could lose control.
As for crashing being a part of the learning curve...it doesn't have to be. In the time that I have been flying, I have only lost one plane. It was not a case of dumb thumbs, rather a battery failuer. I did have a great instructor though.

Jim C