Who is responsible?

Originally Posted by Bob

On Oct 18, 7:57*am, JJ Sinclair wrote:
JJ

It's all between a person's ears. Neuroscientists look at these sorts
of things. A recent article in Nature Neuroscience and also in
Science News Online, entitled "A mind for optimism - Reality checks
affect judgment more when prospects are rosier", discusses the concept
from scientists' viewpoints, with "data that suggests that brains with
sunny outlooks are particularly immune to undesirable
information" (such as you might get killed in a glider if you have
certain habits... resulting in the" It will never happen to me"
syndrome).

The article can be found at: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/gene...d_for_optimism.
Pilots can debate safety ad nausium, but people are pretty much gonna
do what they are gonna do, whatever we say. Regardless, most of us
will continue to try to change others' habits towards being safer. It
would appear that so far this year too many glider pilots have had too
much optimism.

More food for thought.
Bob T.

Safety...

It is a personal thing. I think it's obvious everyone here knows they are responsible for their own safety. But it took my kids for me to realize something--everyone sees or interprets things differently.

My son, when he was 18 months, liked to go down a very tall slide. So I would walk behind him as he went up the stairs to the top, then go down behind him. He would get a secure death grip with one hand, then move one foot, then new secure death grip with next hand, then next foot, etc. When he got older, same play ground, he'd cross the swinging bridge with both hands on the ropes-one of each side-walking along hand over hand as he moved across--not afraid, just safe.

My Daughter comes along two years later. Same park. She goes up the slide at 18 months too, fast, in my mind heedless of danger, moving hands and feet together, sometimes not even holding on. When older and she gets to the swinging bridge, she runs right across, no hands...

Same issues when they got to driving--Son, cautious, careful, double checks, takes his time. Daughter-zoom, bye Dad.

They're both responsible for their own safety, I raised independent kids. Both assess risk, safety needs differently. I need to add nothing to my Son--sometimes I tell him not to be so careful... My Daughter I have to admonish, warn, make her do the right thing.

Both are optimists, both honor grads and college students 3.0+, both pleasant, both hard workers.

If both were to fly, I'd have no worries about my son. My Daughter? I'd hope someone on the field would also be looking out for her safety. Ensuring she was thorough and removed a tail dolly, or locked the cockpit, having someone else mention maybe she shouldn't try a low pass just yet...

Prior to my kids I would have thought everyone knew they were responsible for their own safety, and would be safety concious. My son is like me. My daughter isn't. She's responsible for her own safety, her risk tolerance and care level is lower than I'd like. So safety does fall on all of us to pitch in as well, to do what we can, to recognize there are people who don't see some things as risky, that don't perceive the potential dangers to themselves of their actions--for whatever reason they are wired differently.

But that's just my nickle on the grass for the rest of you.