Multi-tasking is not part of the PRIVILEGE of operating a car.
As far as the pilot comparison goes, just ask pilots who DO fly in close
formation. The last Thunderbirds crash should indicate the direction
multi-tasking went.
The number 1 pilot watches where they go, the rest watch number 1. They
watch number 1 because they couldn't do what they do otherwise. Now, if they
could watch number 1 AND where they were going, only number 1 would've
crashed. But they can't.
Ask an airline pilot if he/she reads a book or newspaper while they're
landing and see what kind of look you get.
If one does not pay attention to where they're going, they WILL hit
something. It's not IF, it's WHEN. And I hope it's not ME.
Particularly the obvious ones... Like the TV, book, newspaper, makeup, etc.
It's the EYES. They're not on what they should be. If they're not looking at
the road, they don't know what's on the road, and will hit what's on the
road. These are the ones that say the semi-trailer full of chickens right in
front of them just "came out of nowhere". Uh-huh.....sure.
The cereal example is a coordination feat. It is possible to do it, but
success isn't likey. At least they're LOOKING at the road. They might not
have complete control of the vehicle, but they know when they're going to
hit something just before they do. Unless, of course, they're looking at the
cereal at the time, in which case see the above.
The phones are the most insideous since they take your MIND from the road.
And even then it depends on what the conversation is. Let's face it, a
simple reminder from the wife on what to pick up on the way home might not
take your attention away, but your wife telling you that she just put $9,000
on your credit card for 'clothes and decorating items' so you can't fix the
race car will take your COMPLETE attention away. (please, no flames for the
stereotypes, it's just a hypothetical example)
I watched (and listened to) a man have a complete fist-waving argument with
his wife over his cell phone in traffic. A bit later, traffic opened up and
about a quarter-mile up the road, I saw him plow into the back of a
semi-truck trailer with his left fist sticking out of the window. The
outrageous part was, by the time I got to where he was, he was still in the
car, arguing with her......... Must've left his attention at work.....
Not meant as a direct comparison, but the attention deprevation caused by a
phone in it's WORST case is akin to the intoxicated driver who gets home
without a scratch on the car, but can't tell you how he got there.
Obviously, he saw the road, successfully navigated it without hitting
anything, and was at least coordinated enough to be able to point the car in
the correct directions, but couldn't tell you HOW or remember the town
parade in the opposing lane during his trip home. I think I'd remember
that, but, then again, I pay attention.
I wish Darwinism could take effect here, but that has the side effect of
taking a few of the 'fittest' out with them. So what's the answer?
Mike
> > I know you all are just having fun, but be careful what you wish for,
> > legislators are way too willing to turn us into criminals to save us
from
> > ourselves the moment something bad happens. If you went through pilot
> > training, you'd learn that you can do many things at once in a very
> > stressful environment. Its not easy, and can be scary, but you learn to
avoid
> > focusing on any one thing for so long that you miss something that needs
> > your attention.
>
> I have been through pilot training -- and the first lesson I learned was:
> fly the airplane. Everything else comes second.
>
> Flying and driving are also fundamentally different -- most aircraft do
> not demand a constant hand on the controls to remain level and on-course,
> and you don't routinely fly in close formation (which demands much more
> attention to flying), which allows a little breathing room if you
> unintentionally deviate from your flight path. A car without an attentive
> hand on the controls will depart the road in under a minute, and will
> usually hit something hard soon after. And traffic is akin to flying in
> close formation with people you don't trust.
>
> > So a lack of skill or an incident of stupidity can
> > cause an accident, but nobody has sufficient skill from the get-go, and
> > nobody is immune from stupidity. That is why pushing driving age higher
or
> > outlawing cel phones is a waste - its insulting to think that people
can't
> > learn to use their cars and gadgets, or that accidents won't happen.
>
> True -- raising the driving age will just push the new-driver accident
> rate into a higher age group. As far as cell phones or any other
> devices go, they're fine if they were designed for use in a car (as
> some are) -- 'nuff said. The real evil, though, is allowing people to
> occupy the driver's seat of a car when driving the car isn't their primary
> task. We don't train people for that mindset and we don't enforce that
> mindset -- instead, we try to make negligent stupidity survivable, often
> by penalizing those who take the task more seriously.
>
> Drive the car first. Everything else comes second.
>
|