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?

"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

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?

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

"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

"cpw" wrote:

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?

The scariest driver I know is a commercial pilot and CFI. He speeds, cuts
in and out of traffic and regards red lights as advisory only; I will not
ride with him. He may have "improved driving skills," but he's a menace.

Besides him, the pilots I know seem pretty average as drivers.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

I am glad you asked this question.
I used to consider myself a good driver, but after learning to fly, my
driving ability has deteriorated.
When you get used to talking on the radio, tracking maps, scanning gauges,
pulling out approach plates, and tracking navigational aids, you get very
good at multitasking. When you get back in the car, you think you can read a
map, talk on the phone, and adjust the radio in heavy traffic, and it
doesn't work so well.

In the plane, you have to multitask, but you can vary your coarse a few
miles either way and +- 100 feet. In the car you need to single task and can
only vary your coarse by a few feet.

I am interested to see if anyone else feels the same.

"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 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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