I think there are three "heros" in the Hudson river ditching - the pilot, the co-pilot and the engineer(s) who designed the Ram Air Turbine that deployed flawlessly and supplied the plane with just enough emergency power to maintain control.

Pilotless jetliners? Next you'll be telling me they will replace elevator operators!

"Thhiss is your captainn sppeekinng. Yesh, I've 'ad a few more than is good for me, but not to worrry 'cause all I have to do is press a button and the plane flies itself. Enjoy your fffright - I mean fflight"

Susan,

I can honestly say that no one has every harassed me by tailgating when the fast lane is clear in 35 years of driving. And I drove a Toyota Tercel for many years. I would consider such action almost an act of violence - certainly far outside normal driving behavior. Perhaps it is more likely to happen to women. I know that some men will hit on any woman they see alone. Anyway, it is very very rare. I still suggest that the LW gain confidence in driving and become better at it. Being afraid of driving is a problem to be solved - as is being afraid of flying.

I have no problem with people driving at or even below the speed limit. They may be new drivers. They may be 85 years old. They may have poor vision. Just keep to the right and no one will harass you. I just don't believe they would if you keep to the right lane.

Just one more point. A person has every right to stop if the light turns yellow. Drivers behind are completely responsible for not hitting the car ahead, no matter what the reason. If I slam on the brakes to avoid a squirrel and the person behind hits me he is at fault, not me. A driver must be prepared to stop his vehicle at all times. It is called being in control.

The LW writes:

"Finally, I gathered that he was not going to go around me on the left and he really wanted my lane so I moved to the left lane"

This makes no sense. in my 35 years of driving, a person who wants to pass will move to the left lane and pass. What I do encounter in the real world is many slow drivers in the passing lane. I begin to suspect this letter is bogus.

I drive over 2 hours a day on some of the most congested roads in the country. My advice is:

1. Driving is a social activity, especially in dense traffic. You have to be aware of the cars ahead, beside and behind you at all times. Be very sensitive to their speed and now they are being driven. I can usually sense if someone want to change lanes before they even signal by slight movements of the car in the lane and of the driver's head. This means you cannot just set the cruise control at the speed limit and roll along.

2. I drive as fast as I can safely drive. People who drive below the speed of traffic in the left lane are a hazard. In many countries it is illegal to block the left (passing lane). I am often forced to pass slow drivers on the right.

3. If you are a nervous driver, you need to increase your skill level to the point where you are confident. Drive more, not less, or take a training course. Realize that you are not a good driver and need to improve. Stop blaming good drivers who "drive like a crazy person". A good driver knows that he or she can handle any driving situation safely and therefore enjoys driving. You should enjoy driving well the way a good cook enjoys making a meal or a good chess player enjoys playing chess. It feels good to do something well.

4. Driving does require continuous attention. I do not eat or drink. I keep phones calls to the bare minimum and I would not change lanes while on the phone. Even on the phone, I do not slow down or wobble in the lane as many do. This takes practice, of course.

If you do not want to take the time to learn to drive well, then take the bus.

Just one more point. Patrick, the new design of salon is so bad that I am reluctant to visit the site. It is a complete mess. So busy that it is very hard to find articles. The old design was so much better. Patrick, please use your no-doubt considerable influence and power at Salon to urge a return to the old design.

Patrick,

All you points about pilot workschedules, low pay, tedium in the flightdeck are well taken. The fact remains that it is totally unacceptable for two pilots to be so distracted that they would fly past their destination. At least one pilot should be alert and monitoring the flight at all times. If you as a pilot do not find this obvious, then I am seriously surprised. I would have no objection to the pilots taking brief naps in turn. After all, there is a reason for having two pilots on board. There are times, Patrick, when you sound like a doctor defending the surgeon who left the scissors in the patient's stomach.

And I notice that not a single book was written by a left-hander. This is just further evidence of the egregious discrimination faced by lefties.

They are still used in more remote airports in China. I felt like a movie star or VIP went I exited the plane in Dunhuang into the fresh air and bright sunshine of the Gobi desert. Not that I have the looks for a leading man - maybe a character actor. Patrick, you will understand....

The Salon redesign is so bad I have given up on Salon. Life's too short to spend half an hour trying to find articles. Just letting you know.