I have a pilot's license and can tell you that if you are flying around a small airport with 6 or 8 planes in the pattern, see and be seen can be iffy. First, you had better be able to recognize your traffic. A description as say, a red plane is ahead is nice but somewhat useless because there are all kinds of planes of that color. I had a situation where a plane got between the runway and me which was to follow me to the runway, so I had to do a 360 degree turn in traffic, with permission, to give separation. You can't slam on breaks to avoid the problem. If you are in a small plane and positioned behind turbine traffic, you had better have enough separation to make sure you don't get into wake turbulence. As you taxi, you have got to be sure you have permission to be crossing or be on a runway. As long as you follow the "rules of the road" it's all pretty safe but not always. I think of Tenarife where to jumbo jets collided. My point is it requires alertness and adherence to instructions but I can't imagine that from a bunch of people in their private planes/cars.
