The Linux kernel still has memory safety issues to this day.
The C++ approach is to offer a feature-rich language so the programmer doesn't have to reinvent common abstractions. The C approach is to offer a minimal and stable language and let the programmer take it from there. It's not obvious a priori which approach should result in fewer memory safety issues. If I had to guess my money would be on C++ being the better choice, as it has smart pointers.
The C++ approach is to offer a feature-rich language so the programmer doesn't have to reinvent common abstractions. The C approach is to offer a minimal and stable language and let the programmer take it from there. It's not obvious a priori which approach should result in fewer memory safety issues. If I had to guess my money would be on C++ being the better choice, as it has smart pointers.