Why Drive?

I suppose that it is very hard to fly a plane. I don't know that being a pilot is one of the very highest-paying jobs out there, but as far as jobs controlling a vehicle are concerned, it must be the best or close to it. There must be a lot to know, because it seems as if your average person is fit enough to get it done. I know that it takes a while just to learn the controls, because you don't get to the point of even being in a plane until well into the learning process.

It must be the tremendous amount of importance placed on training that makes flying statistically safer than driving. I think that being a pilot has to be a lot harder than driving. Then again, driving is not so easy. The statistics that make it out to be so dangerous would be not as bad if only the most qualified were allowed to do it. Of course, I suppose they only mean to allow qualified drivers, but it doesn't work out that way, does it?

I hate to argue against extending the liberty of driving, but there are probably no more people fit to drive than there are to fly. Where does that take me except in the direction of lobbying for public transportation? Who among us cannot even manage to board a bus or train and sit or stand for a while? There's no doubt that some are so low-down or hard up that they can't even do that, but I'd venture to guess that most would be well served by the end of widespread driving in favor of mass transit.

That would be a sad world in a way, I don't deny it. There's an exhilarating feeling from driving when one has the room to do it properly. The novelty of riding a subway train passes, even if the pleasure from its ease remains. A lot of people get hurt driving, and some even while flying. There's no getting through life unhurt, so while I fervently hope we manage to bring down the number hurt on the road, there's no sense in denying people the ability to do something on account of preventing something that it's not possible to prevent absolutely.