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Does being a pilot make you a better driver?

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DenverDude2002 said:
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who benefitted from the MSF course. for anyone whos interested its at http://www.msf-usa.org/ , its a very good class, they provide bikes, takes a weekend, designed for people who have never ridden before, and you can walk out of the class with your motorcycle endorsement. And even experienced riders who have never taken it will learn a lot.
I took the state-sponsored course in March at the Honda complex in Alpharetta (like Atlanta, but whiter). I don't even ride, just thought it would be fun. It was, but it was also very serious and valuable. Had my first street ride on my brother's Triumph Bonneville in the mountains of N.C. a couple of weeks ago. I'm HOOKED!
 
Avbug, the left lane is for passing only,
And the white zone is for loading and unloading only. There is never any parking in the red zone.

No, the red zone is for loading and unloading only. There is never any parking in the white zone.

You're just angry because you want me to have an abortion.

It's really the only sensible thing to do...


Sorry. Couldn't resist.
 
avbug said:
And the white zone is for loading and unloading only. There is never any parking in the red zone.

No, the red zone is for loading and unloading only. There is never any parking in the white zone.

You're just angry because you want me to have an abortion.

It's really the only sensible thing to do...


Sorry. Couldn't resist.
I got a good laugh from that!!!!
 
Heaven knows I'm no speeder. I've been pulled over in times past for going too slow. Twice. When my mighty ricemobile is running (suzuki samurai, does 60 mph on a clear day, downhill, with at least 10 knots tailwind...which is it's maximum tailwind component), I push it to the blistering limits to pass. I did pass once, I think, in 1994. It was downhill, too, and the other guy had a flat.

Anyway, when moving into the left lane for whatever reason, I find I can't get back sometimes, because everyone is speeding past me on the right.

A lot more drivers than you might think know sign language. Some have very ugly, flexible faces, too.
 
Some interesting "theories" out there. Personally, I haven't been in an accident in about 29 years or so. In that case, a very nice, but elderly lady ran a stop sign and T-boned me right in the driver's door. I haven't even been pulled over for a warning by a cop in more than 20 years. I seldom speed, and I do stay to the right. That's because there's dozens of idiots in the left lane doing somewhere between 10-20 over the posted speed limit in the left. Speeding, tailgaiting, cutting each other off. What fun. They're so busy trying to figure out how to get around the car ahead while talking on the phone, they often don't even notice the brake or hazard lights 1/2 mile ahead until it's time to panic.

I can deal with all that though, what's really amazing is it can be raining 1 1/2 inches an hour, or in fog, and the same idiots don't slow down a lick. Drive 65-70 in fog when they couldn't see a wreck or stalled car in the road 80 yards ahead. Just read this morning two young guys, who I'm sure thought they were great drivers, hydroplaned their Mustang on a city boulevard. A street that has a 45 mph speed limit most of it's length. Spun off the road and hit a tree, split it in two and ejected both occupants, who are now Dead.

And does anyone else notice that construction signs and temporary speed limits mean nothing to commuters anymore??:confused:

A recent radio show highlighted that Austin, Tx police average a ticket per day, every day, to someone doing over 100 mph.....:rolleyes:
 
Driving is my single highest risk. I've narrowly avoided becoming the cream filling of a car sandwich numerous times solely due to my always having an escape route.

There's no such thing as "one car length per ten mph" in LA unless you drive at 2 AM and 1 PM.

I learned to drive in Salt Lake City. If you think LA traffic is nuts, try SLC. LA is people changing lanes at 80 in parked traffic. SLC is people changing lanes at 80 in parked traffic on black ice. Yehhawww!

Either place has the majority of drivers that do not understand that rain is a normal environmental process. I'm sure others have observed the cars that suddenly start weaving, trying to avoid the rain drops.

My car looks like a cop car so people go absolutely nuts around me. They slam on brakes in front of me even if they are doing the speed limit. They will block lanes by slowing down to 20 below the limit. They will swerve all over the place because they're trying to figure out what I am and not paying attention to the road. They'll also call all their friends on the cell phone to warn 'em I'm coming, again causing a further distraction from driving.

What it most sobering is CHP's statistic from their various programs. They state that up to 45% of the drivers on the road are drunk. In the California Central Valley the number is higher and the exposure is at all times of the day and night.

So perhaps we might feel safer as pilots because we've identified our highest risk, take steps to mitigate them, and leave our ego satisfaction to when we add 4,000+ h.p. for takeoff knowing the bozo that cut us off is sitting in cattle class completely dependent on us doing our jobs right?

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein
 
s0ldier93 said:
"Name" name or s0lider93? If it's s0ldier93 I've been on Brighthand.com, pocketpcpassion.com, studentpilot.com, hardforum.com, and justlinux.com. And maybe a few others.

In real life I've been to Southern University, the Navy on the USS Enterpise, the ERAU extended campus on NAS Oceana and NOB Norfolk, a civilian contractor on those two bases and recently in Warner Robins, GA. Did I mention I was from New Orleans?
Ah, thats where...I think we were in the same "class" online at ERAU maybe...in the past year. Good...I'm not crazy.
 
JediNein said:
There's no such thing as "one car length per ten mph" in LA unless you drive at 2 AM and 1 PM.
You guys got 1 pm back! Kudos to ya'll!


JediNein said:
What it most sobering is CHP's statistic from their various programs. They state that up to 45% of the drivers on the road are drunk. In the California Central Valley the number is higher and the exposure is at all times of the day and night.
Sounds like the chippers have been having to many luncheon socials with the Femi-Nazis over at MADD. If that statistic is true, I would get up, get up, get down on the 20,000 dollar contest and prove NHTSA and MADD'S claim...but nobody can. That's what's puzzling me. Here is the linky...

http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol-info/Controversies/1075401025.html

The National Motorists Association and get MADD.com recognize that impaired driving remains a cause of traffic accidents. However, we believe that it is dishonest and counterproductive to distort and exaggerate the magnitude of this problem. Such distortion and exaggerations have led to harmful and misguided public policies. Organizations such as MADD and government agencies epitomized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) routinely mislead the public and elected officials with claims that grossly overstate the magnitude of the "drunk driver" problem. This is not without negative consequences.

"Despite the tireless efforts of thousands of advocates, impaired drivers continue to kill someone every 30 minutes, nearly 50 people a day, and almost 18,000 citizens a year. NHTSA and its partners are working together to put a stop to these deadly statistics."
---NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) radio spot, July, 2003.

"Impaired driving can be defined as a reduction in the performance of critical driving tasks due to the effects of alcohol or other drugs. It is a serious crime that kills every 30 minutes."
-- NHTSA definition, from the NHTSA web site.

This nearly three-fold exaggeration of drunk driving caused fatalities has been perpetuated by the press, perverted judicial decisions, created arbitrary legal standards, warped enforcement priorities, and economically and socially harmed millions of decent, responsible people. It's time to put an end to this deliberate campaign of innuendo and misinformation.

NHTSA and MADD proclaimed that 17,970 people were killed by drunk drivers in 2002.

We say prove it.
I think when the BAC for DUI is point oh four, anybody that has a mentos or a spray of breath freashener will be considered a "drunk" driver.

IF that many drivers are drunk on california roads, why isn't the chippers pulling over 45 percent of drivers and giving them a DUI? Where are the death tolls? Sounds like the California Highway patrol is looking for a "boogie man" to use as a means for brining in more cash and vouchsafing positions. Violent crime is at an all time low and is decreasing. Highway fatalities are dropping because of better highways and cars and the money promised by the obnoxious Clinton Violent Crime and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 is history. Hmmmm? Imagine that...the money is gone, so the cops have to justify another baseless crime figure to keep the payolla coming. Jesus...at least the "assault rifle" epidemic was more exciting. And it made for better TV crime shows...like "miami vice".

Our attorney general, a democrat, got her DUI last year while driving a state vehicle for personal reasons. One of our state legislators got a DUI while leaving a MADD banquet. The banquet was in his honor, because he was a leader in bringing the .08 legislation into our state. I think the wake up call is not to far around the corner...you can lower the BAC to -.01 and call 100% of drivers drunk...how's those statistics?
 
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Flying has definately made me a better driver.

When it is raining hard or foggy, I instinctively look down to the instruments...

I cannot back up very well either.
 
Bumper Cars

My personal pet peeve is tailgaters.

Why do some people insist on acting as though they left something in my trunk and are trying to get close enough to reach in and get it out!!
 
If you'd slow down and let me get it out of your trunk, I'd back off. Except for rear-ending you at that last light. Perhaps I'm following too close because our bumpers are locked...
 
EatSleepFly said:
Ah, thats where...I think we were in the same "class" online at ERAU maybe...in the past year. Good...I'm not crazy.
Marketing?
 
*Legally* you arent supposed to pass anyone unless you can complete the pass without exceeding the speed limit. "Legal" and "Safe" are not synonymous terms.
 
I can recall one time in particular when I was cruising down I-90 at about 75MPH indicated road speed, in my 1989 F-250. Out of nowhere, the engine starts running extremely rough and my road speed began dropping. I knew I was low on fuel, so I immediately tried switching tanks. No change!!! I then tried switching mags by turning the ignition switch back one click. The engine completely died!!! Then it dawned on me that my engine only had one ignition system in the first place! I adjusted my transmission to the neutral position and attempted a restart. Nothing!!! At this point my road speed had dropped to only 40MPH IRS, and cars are swerving and honking as they nearly side-swipe me. I immediately grabbed my CB radio and proceeded to declare an emergency on channel 9. A state-trooper responded to my call. I told him I was declaring an emergency and requested permission to coast to a nearby exit. I was cleared to coast to that exit. At a mere 18MPH IRS, I applied the brakes to slow my decent onto the shoulder. I eventually came to a full stop and the ordeal was over. I was asked to file a report regarding the emergency by the local police department. Needless to say, I am lucky to be alive!
 
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I hope you've learned by now that if you had filed a "Road Plan" with the Road Service Station before your departure, none of this would have happened. Did you get the third degree from the Highway Ops Inpectors? Don't forget to file a NRSA form right away!
 
redd said:
My personal pet peeve is tailgaters.

Why do some people insist on acting as though they left something in my trunk and are trying to get close enough to reach in and get it out!!

How about just getting out of the way? :)
 
The cops in Indiana are using a new schtick to get their foot in the door on DUI's. Every time they pull you over, they say "I believe I smell alcohol" then they get to do the breathalyzer.

This is in response to the Ind. Sup. Ct. declaring that roadblocks to randomly check for impaired drivers is unconstitutional. Now, they have to drive to the doughnut shop or talk to other cops on the cellphone(at taxpayer expense) instead of hanging out for 4 or 5 hours with their buddies at a roadblock.

Impaired driving? Have you ever seen a cop driving around that wasn't talking on the cellphone or playing with the laptop in their car? I guess that's ok, they've been through the driving school at the academy...

Also, keep in mind that impairment can be caused by any drug that may cause drowsiness--cold medication will do it as will allergy medication. You can blow 0.00 on the breathalyzer, pass the eye-movement test and still spend the night in jail if the cop thinks you are impaired on "something".

We are closer to a police state than you think.TC
 
The cops in Indiana are using a new schtick to get their foot in the door on DUI's. Every time they pull you over, they say "I believe I smell alcohol" then they get to do the breathalyzer.

This is in response to the Ind. Sup. Ct. declaring that roadblocks to randomly check for impaired drivers is unconstitutional. Now, they have to drive to the doughnut shop or talk to other cops on the cellphone(at taxpayer expense) instead of hanging out for 4 or 5 hours with their buddies at a roadblock.

Impaired driving? Have you ever seen a cop driving around that wasn't talking on the cellphone or playing with the laptop in their car? I guess that's ok, they've been through the driving school at the academy...

Also, keep in mind that impairment can be caused by any drug that may cause drowsiness--cold medication will do it as will allergy medication. You can blow 0.00 on the breathalyzer, pass the eye-movement test and still spend the night in jail if the cop thinks you are impaired on "something".

We are closer to a police state than you think.TC
 
AA717driver said:
The cops in Indiana are using a new schtick to get their foot in the door on DUI's. Every time they pull you over, they say "I believe I smell alcohol" then they get to do the breathalyzer.

This is in response to the Ind. Sup. Ct. declaring that roadblocks to randomly check for impaired drivers is unconstitutional. Now, they have to drive to the doughnut shop or talk to other cops on the cellphone(at taxpayer expense) instead of hanging out for 4 or 5 hours with their buddies at a roadblock.

Impaired driving? Have you ever seen a cop driving around that wasn't talking on the cellphone or playing with the laptop in their car? I guess that's ok, they've been through the driving school at the academy...

Also, keep in mind that impairment can be caused by any drug that may cause drowsiness--cold medication will do it as will allergy medication. You can blow 0.00 on the breathalyzer, pass the eye-movement test and still spend the night in jail if the cop thinks you are impaired on "something".

We are closer to a police state than you think.TC
I hear ya...there are a lot of cops that are not enforcing the newer tougher laws.
 
Avbug,

You know, there are speed kits available from Suzuki Speed Merchants that will squeeze an extra 10 mph IRS out of your Samurai. It'll be a whole new experience for you, allowing you to operate in the bigger intersections and highways. You may want to add the optional Samurai Roof Speed Brake Kit as well, for coming down fast on the exit ramps. They're so steep these days....
 
BigDuke6, I'm experimenting with putting a run-out PT6A-67 in the samo mobile. I'll let you know how it goes. I've also hired a team of aeronautical engineers to design the ideal vortex generator set, on loan from advanced microdynamics, to ensure high energy air is injected into the disrupted airflow just aft of my leaking junkyard sunroof. Presently I've determined that the rear seat will need to come out and the back of the vehicle filled with Jet A/ #2 grade diesel in order to make it from service station to service station.

The biggest problem so far is the spinning propeller; it keeps hitting the driver wen he reaches for the stick shift. Luckily I still have one good hand.

Ballturret, that avatar wouldn't happen to be the woman who plays the female JAG officer on TV, would it?

AA717Driver, you're full of it. As a former law enforcement officer, I never abused any privilege or duty accorded me, and I know no other officer who did. Certainly there are those who do, but to accuse the law enforcement profession of doing so in any large way is ludicruous. It's also disrespectful to a very large group of men and women doing a job that is too often thankless, and very necessary. You can whine about the possibility of a terrorist one day exercising the one in a million or billion chance of picking your airplane and threatening you, when an officer faces that very real possibility with every traffic stop, every domestic disturbance call, ever response to a 911 call.

Not once did I ever hang out in a donut shop (though I'll admit, they're my favorite food group). Not once did I ever attempt to process information or take down a bulletin while driving. In fact, departmental policy precluded it, just as it precluded operating in excess of 10 mph over the speed limit...a restriction we followed. Any violation of departmental policy was met with fairly immediate review by either a department head, or the sheriff.

Then again, you should hear the garbage that people whine about when calling to complain about the police. I recall one moron who called to demand his shotgun back. It had been confiscated, he said. I wasn't familiar, and pressed for details. He had shot his friend when they argued over a drug deal gone bad. We had confiscated the shotgun. The matter had been resolved in court, and he wanted the shotgun back. I told him not a chance. A police state, you think? He should have been given that weapon? It was sold to a clearing house that purchased and sold at auction siezed weapons...I took it there myself. If that's a police state, I'm all for it.

As for DUI and traffic stops, I knew one officer that never pulled a soul over except he made an arrest for drug posession or DUI. He had the state record; he was a state trooper who had an absolute sixth sense for it. I logged him into the evidence room time and time again; he had an entire wall of evidence and spent a lot of time in court testifying. He was amazing. I asked him once about his secret, and he said he could spot the violators a mile away. They always gave a reason for the stop. It was never probable cause for narcotics or alcohol. It was a taillight out, a two year old expired registration, a headlight out. But he could spot them a mile away; folks making five or six times what he did, but who thought they would look inconspicuous in a rundown auto...hide their income.

The bottom line was that he put a dent in trafficing in one small artery, but he always scored. You think he was doing something out of line? I don't. I admired him. I still do.

We had a very popular vacation/resort spot, which became engorged with holiday celebration twice a year, at the east end of the county. Formerly, several deaths a year occured there. We began doing stings and had undercover law enforcement for all over the country on the beaches doing drug buys. We used national gaurd. We built a temporary jail and an open-air booking station, as well as a road block. Thousands of arrests over the weekends, between two locations. Some very well known names; a few celebrities. Your police state. But guess what? Fatalities dropped to zero. No more knifings, no more of the old problems. Fewer weapons appearing, and the buys went down because there was less action...officer presence in uniform and out had a sharp effect in discouraging what had been going on before, and restoring those sites to a place that families could once again visit.

You're paranoid if you think it's a police state. It's not. It's a free state, and police have a hard enough time doing their job now without you ever having to worry about police taking over.

As for DUI, I'll tell you my perspective. I see a drunk driver in the same light I see someone rampaging about town indiscriminately firing a weapon. Only the car they're driving is a much bigger weapon, and kills more people every year. You can quabble over the statistics, but the truth is that we have experienced years in the United States in which more people were killed in alcohol related accidents than were killed in ten years of combat in Vietnam. That's unacceptable. I've lost friends to drunk or impaired drivers. I've extricated screaming and dead victims from the wreckage following alcohol related events. I've waded through the spilled fuel, the broken glass, the blood, the metal. I don't see any measures that are taken to prevent that as in any way forming a police state. It's public protection. Are you afraid of getting pulled over yourself? If not, then you've nothing to fear. A roadblock is a moment of your time. Afraid to take a breath analyzer? Does it impair your freedom or your ablity to be a man? Or just to drive drunk??

Before you climb out of your skin and crawl all over men and women who are doing a job you can't be bothered to perform, and which is critical to order and public safety, perhaps you ought to take a few minutes to find out what it is you're talking about.
 
flyifrvfr said:
If you are doing the speed limit in the left hand lane and you are being passed by people in the right lane, than you are illegal, even if you are doing the speed limit. You are impeding the flow of traffic. This is why accidents happen.

This statement confuses me. So you are saying that the blame goes to the people obeying the speed limit and not those who are going too fast and have to slam on the brakes/swerve to miss the law abiding citizens? I say BS.

You can claim all day long that the people in the left lane doing the speed limit and getting passed are breaking the law, however they are only "breaking the law" because of those who do not understand the work "limit." Your breaking the law does not turn my law abiding self into a criminal. I would like to see an accident report where the driver doing the speed limit was at fault for being run over by some idiot going too fast.

Remember that the law also states that it is your job to ensure separation between your car and the car in front of you. If you hit them in the a@@ it's your fault for following too close, driving to fast, etc.

Personally, I try to get out of the left lane when I see a speeder approaching from behind because I don't want them to f up and hit me.

I guess I will never understand why people speed so much. If you want to get somewhere 5 minutes earlier then get your f'ing butt out the door 5 minutes earlier. And if you are going to be late, be late. Don't endanger my life or that of my family/friends so you can get a better seat at the porno theater.

Back on the topic about pilot drivers...we are no different as a whole than the rest of the country when it comes to skill. However we are probably more ignorant to that fact because we are too cocky to realize we suck.

Peace!

Skeezer
 
skeezer said:
This statement confuses me. So you are saying that the blame goes to the people obeying the speed limit and not those who are going too fast and have to slam on the brakes/swerve to miss the law abiding citizens? I say BS.


Skeezer
First off all, in our state, if you are not passing while driving in the left lane...you can get a ticket.

Second of all, get your freeking speedometer calibrated before you go around driving in the left lane causing traffic backups. You may be driving 5-6 under the speed limit and not even know it.
 
First, you will not find me hogging up the left lane. You will find me in the right lane when there are two lanes off traffic in my direction, or in the middle lane when there are three (too keep out of the way of those merging). Unless I have to pass I will stay out of the left lane.

Second, my beef is that someone may be breaking the law by driving in the left lane at the posted speed limit (yes, assuming a properly calibrated speedometer) and not passing, however that would not be a dangerous situation if people would all obey the speed limit. The dangerous situation is started by the speeder, and yes while it is aggrivated by the guy going 65, the danger/fault begins with the speeder.

Peace!

Skeezer
 
skeezer said:
Second, my beef is that someone may be breaking the law by driving in the left lane at the posted speed limit (yes, assuming a properly calibrated speedometer) and not passing, however that would not be a dangerous situation if people would all obey the speed limit. The dangerous situation is started by the speeder, and yes while it is aggrivated by the guy going 65, the danger/fault begins with the speeder.

Peace!

Skeezer
Hahaha...yee haw! Yes, I here ya brother...the Germans invent the Interstate prior to WWII. The autobahn is world renoun...only Americans could copy the design and phu<k it all up by driving in the left lane next to a semi-truck for miles, vacillating speeds and driving with one tire over the fog line, while talking on cell phones, paying excessive attentention to a kid, turning their heads to talk to people in the back seat, or eating fast food.
 

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