Crappy kernel mode drivers crash OSX and Linux too. Vista was garbage at launch because of so many breaking driver changes, practically everyone had to re-write their drivers, especially Nvidia, ATI, and Intel. Windows 7 basically uses Vista drivers, which are quite stable at this point.
It's quite like how some huge percentage of Safari crashes are due to Flash. People complain that Safari is crap, but it really is someone else's fault. That said, I'm not defending Microsoft or Apple here: once others make you look bad a bunch of times, it is your fault for not protecting yourself from them.