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'Miracle on the Hudson' Co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles Addresses Lytx® User Group Conference
The Safe Landing of US Airways Flight 1549 was the Result of an Intense Focus on Training the Human in the Cockpit, Not a Miracle

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Miracle on the Hudson" – the 2009 safe emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River that secured the lives of 155 passengers and crew – was no miracle, according to the flight's co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles, who will be addressing the Lytx User Group Conference (UGC) today. Instead, he says, it was the result of an intense focus on improving the safe piloting skills of the cockpit crew.

'Miracle on the Hudson' co-pilot Jeff Skiles talks about the role of the human in the safety equation at the Lytx User Group Conference, held in San Diego this week.

Skiles' message is particularly relevant to the attendees of the Lytx UGC, held here this week, because they work with Lytx to help improve the safe driving behavior of their commercial drivers. The Lytx UGC is an international gathering of Lytx clients who use the Lytx DriveCam™ program, leveraging video technology, precision data analytics, and personalized coaching insights to turn good drivers into better drivers.

"Airlines have spent decades improving the safety of their aircraft, using every technology available, but a major piece of the safety equation is missing if you don't focus on the human," Skiles said in an interview prior to his address. "On the day Flight 1549 landed on the Hudson, we had the tools, the training, and the expert guidance to make the right decisions and save the lives of our passengers and crew.  What happened that day was the validation of an intense organizational focus on safety."

"Every Lytx client, whether here at the User Group Conference or back at home, has that same single-mindedness when it comes to safety," said Lytx Chairman and CEO Brandon Nixon. "They've made the choice to prioritize improving driver behavior within their safety programs using Lytx DriveCam services."

Looking for Patterns and Trends in Pilot Behavior

According to Skiles, airlines use the knowledge gained from pilot errors – from the nearly imperceptible error to the catastrophic – to accumulate a better understanding of both pilot behavior as well as the environmental conditions that influence pilot performance.

"Airlines are looking for patterns and trends to develop solutions to improve safety," he said.

Similarly, Lytx analyzes data from more than 45 billion miles driven to predict which behaviors are likely to lead to a collision. Lytx then provides precise, data-driven coaching insights to help change that behavior and decrease the likelihood of an adverse event.

As Skiles experienced on the day of that flight, environments can be unpredictable, so it's up to the skills of the human to mitigate risk.

"Continually improving a driver's behavior to contend with the dynamic environment around them can, when the situation arises, turn a fleet driver into a hero, too," Nixon said.

About Lytx
At Lytx® we harness the power of data to change human behavior and help good companies become even better. Our flagship product, Lytx DriveCam sets the standard for driver safety in the industries we serve, and our RAIR® Compliance Services helps DOT-regulated fleets comply with safety regulations, complementing the DriveCam® Program. Lytx ActiveVisionSM service helps detect and address distracted and drowsy driving, both in real time and over time. We protect more than 1,400 clients worldwide who drive billions of miles. We enable our clients to realize significant ROI by lowering operating and insurance costs, while achieving greater efficiency and compliance. Most of all, we strive to help save lives – on our roads and in our communities, every day. Lytx is privately held and headquartered in San Diego. For more information, visit www.lytx.com, @lytx on Twitter, or on our YouTube channel.

Contact:
Lytx
Gretchen Griswold
858.926.2445
ggriswold@lytx.com

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SOURCE Lytx