Did Jesus read the Letters of St Paul, like a good Bible-reading Evangelical ?
Same kind of answer, for the same reason. If Catholics have no business praying to the BVM, "because Jesus never did" - the same reasoning means Evangelicals should not read St Paul's letters, "because Jesus never did" that either. Or is consistency in thinking an optional extra ?
Time and again, Evangelicals ask questions about what Catholics do, implying that they should not do it, while never noticing that they themselves behave in exactly the same way as the people whose religious practice they are criticising. Evangelicals criticise others, yet seem to have no capacity for self-criticism. Maybe that is why Evangelicals are heartily disliked, and not respected.
The Church encourages devotion to the BVM, and prays to her, and encourages Catholics to pray to her for her intercession with God; therefore, it is entirely safe, and is good and right and Christian, to pray to the BVM in the way the Church does.