Is default number of encounters per day in 5E it's biggest flaw?

[Benny89]

I have problem with short rests because many times they seem totally out of place from story perspective. For example I had an "adventuring day" where party was chasing a members of cult who kidnapped a young girl. There were pressed by time hard and encounters were designed so they can feel desperation of "not making it" and press on harder to save the girl in time. There were 2 encounters before they reached them + puzzle and then a final fight with dramatic ending.

There is no way in circumstances like, and when narrative is flowing smoothly that someone will say "ok, but let's take a 1 hour short rest". You can't waste hour, even minutes for something like, and you can't waste time for 2 such rests.

Therefore party short-rest member was out of resources most of the chase. You could say it's my fault as DM, but I wanted to make that desperate race with time feeling, and short rest classes are just not suitable for that. Long Rest have to divide their resources but they can, with smart playing, make that in the end they still have some left.

Short rests in general are imo totally counter-narrative many times. "We beaten those enemies here, but the castle is burning, people are dying.... they are for the artifact!! We have to get to Princess!", "Ok, nice, but can we take a 1 hour rest please first?"

It's just....well, stupid in so many cases when you make dynamic events in your story.

Not every story is "Dunegon, Room to Room fight, rest between" as it's well... Not really exciting plot. At least not when it happens too often.