Better drivers?

I apologize if this topic has been beaten to death in the past. I am
wondering if there are any statistics on whether pilots are safer
(automobile) drivers than the general public. It has seemed to me that
my pilot training has improved my driving skills in several ways:
situational awareness, planning ahead, general safe driving practices,
etc. Anybody have any opinions (HAH!) in the group?

Patting myself on the back, I think that is true. Both flying and
maneuvering ships (with no brakes in either case) requires constant
evaluation of your surroundings and doing a lot of predicting. I'm watching
everyone, in both directions, and always have an evasion plan. Can't trust
anyone these days.

Bob Gardner

"cpw" wrote in message
oups.com...
I apologize if this topic has been beaten to death in the past. I am
wondering if there are any statistics on whether pilots are safer
(automobile) drivers than the general public. It has seemed to me that
my pilot training has improved my driving skills in several ways:
situational awareness, planning ahead, general safe driving practices,
etc. Anybody have any opinions (HAH!) in the group?

I am not sure if I agree. The only car accident I ever got into was
because I was looking up at the clouds trying to figure out which
direction the wind was blowing from, and rear ended the car in front.
That's when I realized that looking up at the sky is something I have
been doing routinely while driving.

There is very little similarity between the decision making processes
involved in driving and flying. Weather is a leading cause of aviation
accidents. It is just a minor incovenience when driving. Flying fast is
good, and slow is bad. The opposite is true with driving. Running out
of fuel in an airplane could be bad, but in a car it is just an
inconvenience. Flight planning is a must. Driving plan... I have driven
all across the country and never did anything that even comes close to
a 50NM flight plan.



Bob Gardner wrote:
Patting myself on the back, I think that is true. Both flying and
maneuvering ships (with no brakes in either case) requires constant
evaluation of your surroundings and doing a lot of predicting. I'm watching
everyone, in both directions, and always have an evasion plan. Can't trust
anyone these days.

Bob Gardner

"cpw" wrote in message
oups.com...
I apologize if this topic has been beaten to death in the past. I am
wondering if there are any statistics on whether pilots are safer
(automobile) drivers than the general public. It has seemed to me that
my pilot training has improved my driving skills in several ways:
situational awareness, planning ahead, general safe driving practices,
etc. Anybody have any opinions (HAH!) in the group?

Andrew Sarangan wrote:
I am not sure if I agree. The only car accident I ever got into was
because I was looking up at the clouds trying to figure out which
direction the wind was blowing from, and rear ended the car in front.
That's when I realized that looking up at the sky is something I have
been doing routinely while driving.

Let's see, so you are easily distracted from the task of driving by
irrelevant things, if you are the same way while flying, you probably
aren't a very safe pilot either.


There is very little similarity between the decision making processes
involved in driving and flying. Weather is a leading cause of aviation
accidents. It is just a minor incovenience when driving. Flying fast is
good, and slow is bad. The opposite is true with driving.

Not true. Driving 35 on the high way is just as dangerous as driving 75
in a housing area. Just like flying, driving needs to be done at the
correct speed for the conditions. The only time this wouldn't be true
is if you were the only animated object on or near the road. Also
flying too fast can be as dangerous as driving too fast.


Running out
of fuel in an airplane could be bad, but in a car it is just an
inconvenience. Flight planning is a must. Driving plan... I have driven
all across the country and never did anything that even comes close to
a 50NM flight plan.

Just because the things that are important to make decisions about while
driving aren't the same as they are while flying, doesn't mean the
ability to make good decisions is any different for either activity.


--
Chris W
KE5GIX

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Chris W wrote in news:rBEig.52766$9c6.23723@dukeread11:

Andrew Sarangan wrote:

Snipola
There is very little similarity between the decision making processes
involved in driving and flying. Weather is a leading cause of aviation
accidents. It is just a minor incovenience when driving. Flying fast is
good, and slow is bad. The opposite is true with driving.

Not true. Driving 35 on the high way is just as dangerous as driving 75
in a housing area. Just like flying, driving needs to be done at the
correct speed for the conditions. The only time this wouldn't be true
is if you were the only animated object on or near the road. Also
flying too fast can be as dangerous as driving too fast.
Snipola

I agree. One of my pet peeves is people not accelerating on the
acceleration ramp. Yes, that's the proper name for it. Not "on
ramp". That's what I was taught in drivers ed and my experince
since confirms this. You are supposed to accelerate to the speed
of traffic BEFORE merging. Many accidents occur at "on ramps"
where traffic is going at vastly different speeds. Trying to
merge onto a freeway moving at 75 while still only doing 35 is
a very bad thing.

Brian
--
http://www.skywise711.com - Lasers, Seismology, Astronomy, Skepticism
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Sed quis custodiet ipsos Custodes?

"cpw" wrote in message
oups.com...
I apologize if this topic has been beaten to death in the past. I am
wondering if there are any statistics on whether pilots are safer
(automobile) drivers than the general public. It has seemed to me that
my pilot training has improved my driving skills in several ways:
situational awareness, planning ahead, general safe driving practices,
etc. Anybody have any opinions (HAH!) in the group?

Given that I've seen no evidence that pilots on the whole are better at
avoiding crashes in airplanes than they otherwise would statistically be
expected to be, I see no reason to think they would be better drivers. That
is, if they can't even be better-than-average in flying than they'd be
expected to be, why would one expect them to be better-than-average in
anything else?

If anything, I find some of the most common problems with driving
(aggressive driving such as tailgating and speeding, lack of basic knowledge
of right-of-way rules) to be quite rampant among the drivers with whom I
share the airport parking lot.

For my own part, it doesn't happen much if at all these days, but when I
first learned to fly, I kept having trouble keeping my driving reflexes out
of my flying and vice a versa. I'd check the (nonexistent) mirror, reach
for the (nonexistent) turn signal, and look over my shoulder to check my
(irrelevant) blind spot before making a turn in an airplane. In the car,
I'd find myself pushing and pulling on the steering wheel in response to
changing terrain.

Finally, while not a proof of my opinion, it seems to me that insurance
companies would be more eager to get pilots on their rolls for auto
insurance if they were statistically superior risks. I have never seen any
sort of targeted advertising along those lines.

What I *would* agree with is that pilots are an arrogant lot, with a
tendency to think that they are superior to the average person and a
misplaced belief that that above-average-ness permeates throughout their
entire existence. I've seen that attitude posted here enough, that's for
sure.

But, while there certainly are pilots who are above-average, I don't really
see any reason to think there are more pilots, relatively speaking, who are
above-average than there are people who are above-average in the general
population.

Remember, something like 80% of all drivers believe they are above-average.
Obviously nearly half of those people are wrong.

Pete

Peter Duniho wrote:
If anything, I find some of the most common problems with driving
(aggressive driving such as tailgating and speeding, lack of basic knowledge
of right-of-way rules) to be quite rampant among the drivers with whom I
share the airport parking lot.



I remember going to lunch with a flight instructor and having her drive. She
scared the crap out of me. Not that she was aggressive; it was more that she
was just a **** poor driver.... wandered over the lines, etc. I tried to get
her to let me drive back but no go.

She's flying for a major now. As I recall, she was a good pilot; just a really
bad driver. I don't think there's any correlation at all. You'd think the
hand-eye coordination would help but apparently there are other factors at work.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" wrote

I remember going to lunch with a flight instructor and having her drive.
She scared the crap out of me. Not that she was aggressive; it was more
that she was just a **** poor driver.... wandered over the lines, etc. I
tried to get her to let me drive back but no go.

She's flying for a major now. As I recall, she was a good pilot; just a
really bad driver. I don't think there's any correlation at all. You'd
think the hand-eye coordination would help but apparently there are other
factors at work.

I can say the same thing about an acquaintance of mine, who is a pilot. All
over the road, and fast, too.
--
Jim in NC

Peter Duniho wrote:
If anything, I find some of the most common problems with driving
(aggressive driving such as tailgating and speeding, lack of basic knowledge
of right-of-way rules) to be quite rampant among the drivers with whom I
share the airport parking lot.

What I *would* agree with is that pilots are an arrogant lot, with a
tendency to think that they are superior to the average person and a
misplaced belief that that above-average-ness permeates throughout their
entire existence. I've seen that attitude posted here enough, that's for
sure.

This reminds me of a remark I once heard from a hospital administrator
regarding physicians (who he once held as above reproach). "You know,
if you're an a**hole when you go into medical school, you're generally
an a**hole when you get out". No reason to think pilots are any
different, I suppose.
CPW

Given that I've seen no evidence that pilots on the whole are better at
avoiding crashes in airplanes than they otherwise would statistically be
expected to be...

I have no idea what this means. It sounds a lot like "the average pilot
is no better than average at piloting". Could you clarify?

Jose
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