Originally Posted by
Dr.Lou
Proficiency usually has little or nothing to do with it. Being tired, speed, distracted, under the influence or all the above are usually the primary factors in traffic accidents.
More proficient motorists don't drive when they're tired, don't speed or go too fast for the conditions, don't distract themselves, and don't use drugs or alcohol prior.
Use airplane pilots as as comparison. When you go to flight school you're taught to maintain a constant scan of your instrumentation and your surroundings. You are also taught this in driver's ed, but clearly one is enforced better than the other. A pilot has to continuously prove they are capable of safely operating an aircraft by passing biennial flight reviews, which consist of a ground course followed by in-air evaluation (typically 1.5-2 hours total). With airplanes you have so much physical space around you that you have more time to recover from an error. In a car you don't have that luxury, yet somehow we think it's appropriate to hand teenagers licenses and never expect them to demonstrate safe operation for as long as they live.