Safari 17.5 crashing on McBook Air 2021 M1 / Monterey 12.7.5

Recently updated Safari - 17.5 - crashing in maybe 50% of cases when closing a window. Issue known for weeks, no available update. Is Apple forcing us to upgrade to the most recent Sonoma ? Eventually to a new machine ? I use software (darktable) that is unlikely to function properly with a more recent OS. I DON'T need any of the new features in Sonoma. And I'd like to be using my faster-than-enough computer for many more years... It's 2024, Apple ! Wake up ! Your technology will soon be using more energy than we have, the planet is burning, people are tired... And we've already paid you vast amounts of money. Be creative : come up with solutions for a new society.