The distinction is because if the cockroaches are dead then usually this means that the pest control plan that the restaurant has in place is working like it is supposed to. Most restaurants have what is called a "Bug Night" (usually once a month) where they cover EVERYTHING in the restaurant in the dining room and in the kitchen and a pest control company comes in and sprays for pests. If cockroaches are found alive during a health inspection then these bug nights are either not happening, not happening frequently enough, or the company is not spraying the correct areas or using the correct chemicals. Ideally, pests would never gain access into a restaurant in the first place. In reality, that is almost impossible when doors are constantly being opened and closed to the outside all day from guests, employees, and outside vendors. Even the cleanest kitchens I have ever seen still had a very minor pest presence.

As far as the actual health inspections go and how they are scored, I completely agree on not having faith in a restaurant who has several major violations. A lot of the minor violations are just that.....minor. But, a lot of minor violations can also add up to a lack of discipline in the restaurant which can lead to those major violations. I think the thing that would make me never come back to a restaurant would be if I was a guest and I saw a health inspector show up for a routine inspection and the staff panicked. That means that good behaviors and food handling were not in place on a daily basis and they were trying to fix things real quick so they could pass. Most restaurants get inspected twice a year. That means you don't know what you're getting the other 363 days at that restaurant. They might fix things just good enough to pass that day and live another 6 months. Interesting thread though.