How Good A Driver Are You?

Wishbone Ash

RobAMerc wrote: »

I read an article recently that said about 70% of drivers consider themsleves above average....funny I have yet to meet one person I feel would be classed above average

+1

Steve

I voted ****stars simply because I believe I know my limitations and realise that no matter how good you think you are, every day is still a learning experience.

Mr Benevolent

In general, the more experienced a driver (applies to pilots as well) the more they see themselves as needing to improve. I know two test pilots who consider themselves to be average, while people with half the experience consider themselves fantastic in the air. It's the old story.

Since I haven't got my full licence I wouldn't even show up on the poll. If I ever had the temerity to consider myself "pretty damned good" or "brilliant" I promise to start praying to the patron saint of crumple zones, St. Ncap.

Great thread.

Panda Moanium

Really depends on the definition of good, e.g. ref comments above about racing drivers, certainly not good drivers by conventional public road driving definitions.

Anyhow, my good points.
- Driving for 23 years without a single accident or significant moment. Do big mileage - in excess of 80k km per annum.
- Passed car driving test first time with only a single driving lesson, and that on the morning of the test (although that might not be a good point!). Had been driving tractors since about eight years of age, and was able to drive cars off-road as soon as my feet could reach the pedals.
- Clean licence, never had points or been done for speeding.
- Full truck and bike licences (not that they are used much, but as already said they do give you a different perspective). Passed all first time, but did go for lessons for these...
- Have passed the IAM course in the UK.
- Have driven extensively all over world including countries as diverse as Pakistan, India, Hong Kong, Chile, Brazil, Bahrain etc.
- Fairly competent rally driver and can hold my own around a race track. I like to feel that I know how to handle a car at the limit.
- Don't drive excessively fast on public roads - at or just marginally above speed limit where conditions allow.
- And finally what I consider the big one. I treat driving as a privilege, not a right. I always try to concentrate fully when driving - to be aware of conditions, speed limits, other road users, potential hazards, always indicate, don't brake unnecessarily, never impede someone who wants to get past me.

God, I'm good am I not?

Bad points
- Probably push on a bit too much. I rarely drive anywhere slowly (although when I do, that's when I find my concentration lapsing which raises an interesting observation about 'safe' driving).
- A certain lack of patience with other road users who don't know what they are doing. Have been known to undertake overtaking lane hoggers that refuse to pull over, and am not adverse to overtaking a line of cars if conditions allow - even if that means temporarily exceeding the speed limit.

So sadly by the standards of a significant number of posters to Motors I'm a very bad driver indeed!

But to seriously rate myself, I consider myself competent, but always see room to improve. Touch wood I'll never have an accident, but I often think a small one every now and again might be no harm to anyone not to think themselves infallible drivers.

Zube

I selected "Average" because I have no clue if I'm any better than that. Obviously I'm better than Micra-driving hat-wearing nuns from Mayo, but then the average driver is, too.

daveharnett

Good thread. I would observe a minor flaw in the poll: in this country (EDIT: or at least my little part of it), "Average" = "not great".

I went for average on the basis that it is supposed to mean 'competent'. I'm aware of my and my car's limitations, and I try to drive within them. I try to be considerate to other road users, and I generally don't let muppets bother me.

However I also catch myself driving on autopilot on my daily commute more often than I'd like.

Marcus.Aurelius

I voted pretty damn good. I'm always watching myself to look for improvements, it's a lifelong learning process.

That sentiment seems lost on a lot of other people though, they've driven the same for 20-40 years and will never change.

De Hipster

I'd consider myself 'Pretty Damn Good' ...but then doesn't everyone?!

I'm (IMO) highly observant - constantly watching for hazards; the road ahead, other road users, surroundings etc.

I use my mirrors frequently.

I'm considerate to other roads users.

I'm easy on a vehicle & maintain my car to the highest levels of safety, mehanical and asethetic standards.

I have 7yrs + claims free driving.

My downfalls are:
My lack of patience in regard to the often woeful standards of driving in this country.
I speed, always within reasonable touch of the limits & never innapproapiately (IMO).
I can be inconsiderate when parking to avoid trolley dents & small children knocking lumps out of my motor.

Mad Dog

I voted average.

Been driving about 25 years now and last 20 been employed as a HGV driver, driven all over Europe and not had any major accidents yet that were my fault. Been on defensive driving courses, even did the Hibernian Ignition course a few years back and get regularly assessed in work by my companies driving assessor.

I find the standard of driving on our roads to be getting worse and too many people think they are great drivers, although if the truth be known they are a lot worse than average.

That is why I put myself as average.

RobAMerc

Mad Dog wrote: »

I voted average.

Been driving about 25 years now and last 20 been employed as a HGV driver, driven all over Europe and not had any major accidents yet that were my fault. Been on defensive driving courses, even did the Hibernian Ignition course a few years back and get regularly assessed in work by my companies driving assessor.

I find the standard of driving on our roads to be getting worse and too many people think they are great drivers, although if the truth be known they are a lot worse than average.

That is why I put myself as average.

Well said mate

peasant

Lovely to see all these experienced drivers teaching us a lesson in humility by classing themselves as "average".

To be honest ... to me that smacks a bit of "political correctness" .

If the statistical average of Irish drivers are crap (which they are) and you can honestly say that you're better than the statistical average (because you have more experience/less points or accidents than the average) then I think you have a right to call yourself a "pretty damn good" driver in the context of this poll.

As long as you don't rest on your laurels and keep alert and your driving habits in check I can't see anything wrong with classing yourself as a good driver.

Honey-ec

Panda Moanium wrote: »

Have been known to undertake overtaking lane hoggers that refuse to pull over.

Slightly OT, but didn't they change the law last year so that it is perfectly legal to pass on the inside lane on a dual/triplecarriageway or motorway if the traffic in that lane is moving faster than the traffic in the outside lane/s?

Reason being that the original definition of undertaking and related laws were written when practically every road in the country was a single carriageway and hadn't been updated to account for multiple-lane roads.

TheFixer

I couldn't pick between 1 star or 5 stars because I'm dangerously brilliant. So good that other drivers have crashed when the seen my brilliance.

So I picked 3 stars.

peasant

Honey-ec wrote: »

Slightly OT, but didn't they change the law last year so that it is perfectly legal to pass on the inside lane on a dual/triplecarriageway or motorway if the traffic in that lane is moving faster than the traffic in the outside lane/s?

Nope ...wrong !

There is a general "keep left" rule in place. Only when you are overtaking should you be in the rigth lane (and pull in left again, when you're done)

Passing out slower traffic on the left is only allowed when it's no longer condsidered "overtaking" ...i.e when there are two solid colums of traffic in either lane and the one in the left just happens to go faster than the one in the right.

A handful of cars blocking up the right hand lane is just drivers breaking the keep left rule but not a valid reason to overtake them in the left lane.


and now back to topic ...

Honey-ec

peasant wrote: »

Nope ...wrong !

There is a general "keep left" rule in place. Only when you are overtaking should you be in the rigth lane (and pull in left again, when you're done)

Passing out slower traffic on the left is only allowed when it's no longer condsidered "overtaking" ...i.e when there are two solid colums of traffic in either lane and the one in the left just happens to go faster than the one in the right.

A handful of cars blocking up the right hand lane is just drivers breaking the keep left rule but not a valid reason to overtake them in the left lane.


and now back to topic ...

That's exactly what I meant - but every day callers to LiveDrive complain about drivers "undertaking" them in this way when what they really mean is that the traffic in the inside lane just happens to be driving faster than that in the outside.

Obviously if someone is in the outside lane, pulls into the inside lane to get past the person in front of them and then immediately pulls back into the outside lane, then this is still undertaking.

r3nu4l

I class myself as above average:

I used to cycle a lot so I watch out for cyclists

My mate is a biker so I watch out for motorbikes

My Dad was a truck-driver so I know how poor their rear-view visibility is so I stay a good distance behind vans and trucks.

I don't use a phone while driving

I have excellent observation and always know what's going on at least 300 M up the road (where visible).

I always indicate before I move out and (where appropriate) on roundabouts.

I always look over my right shoulder when merging with traffic or changing lanes to avoid the blind-spot problem.

I'm careful with the use of my headlights and fog lights.

So why didn't I give myself 5 stars? On A-roads and M-ways I speed when the road conditions, traffic conditions and weather are good enough to allow me to. It's still speeding no matter how I justify it.

Duckjob

I gave myself four stars, which makes me above average - who isn't an "above average" driver ?

My good points:
- I think I maintain a very good awareness of what is around me on the road.
- I never get beeped for not noticing a car when switching lanes etc.
- I think that I drive in a way that makes it easy for other drivers to predict my actions.
- I never, ever, take chances when overtaking.


My bad points:
- I probably allow my mood to dictate my driving style a bit
- In creeping traffic my concentration flags - I've had a few tips in that situation - one time embarrassingly rolling into the back of the car in front while trying to adjust the stereo (which was sliding around on the floor by its wires)
- (lack of) female attire on warm sunny days poses too much of a distraction for me.

Balfa

Good thread. I came into it intending to vote brilliant, but all these people with decades of experience, multiple licences and additional certification knocked my self esteem down a peg
So I picked 4 stars. To be honest, from their descriptions, I'd consider the likes of Panda and Peasant to be brilliant and it'd be an injustice to the poll if they weren't considered so.

I'm very observant (seems to be what most people are praising themselves for), never drive on "autopilot", know how to read a situation as it unfolds, often (though probably not enough) like to waft along casually while the world whizzes by in the fast lane. Been rear ended twice while stopped. But never caused an accident, never had a ticket, etc.

On the downside, I do exceed the speed limit, considerably at times. But it's very much a cultural thing over here I have been pulled over once for doing 60mph in a 40 zone, but he let me off without a ticket I'm a fairly aggressive driver, in that I TAKE right of way while others are hesitating, though I've never experienced anything resembling a hairy situation for doing this... I tend to do it in carparks and whatnot, not at speed.

The funny thing is, my wife and I consider ourselves much better drivers than other people we might give lifts to or receive lifts from, but those people point out things we do that they think are appalling. We still know we're right But it just goes to show you can't trust peoples' opinion of what good driving is

Just a quick example before I go: this complete gobpoo pulls out of a car park in front of me and proceeds to drive at 5-10mph as they do over here. I wouldn't have to "slam" on the brakes, but I'd definitely have to brake and waste an awful lot of kinetic energy if I were to stay behind them. So I indicate, pop out into the next lane, indicate again, pop back in in front of them, indicate again, turn into my carpark entrance maybe 50-100m ahead. My sister in law in the backseat was horrified and said she HATES people who pull in in front of someone and then turn in front of them. Thing is, the speed difference between me and gobpoo was so great that I was way ahead of them by the time I turned and didn't come close to inconveniencing them. The alternative was for me to be inconvenienced. It's a no brainer to me and my wife, but my sister in law disagreed adamantly. She's like that

Balfa

Duckjob wrote: »

- I think that I drive in a way that makes it easy for other drivers to predict my actions.

Oh! I want to steal that one. I always preach it, and hold myself up as a shining beacon of how to drive in such a smooth and deliberate way

L1011

Duckjob wrote: »

- (lack of) female attire on warm sunny days poses too much of a distraction for me.

Theres only one fix for that unfortunately , and you end up getting distracted by the opposite instead

Mad Dog

It is funny though how a lot of people seem to list bad points in their driving but still think they are 4 or 5 star drivers.

Fact is that nobody can be a 5 star driver and if you have bad points my reading would be that you are not as good as you think. Average or below at best in most cases.

Balfa

MYOB wrote: »

the opposite

an abundance of female attire?

L1011

Balfa wrote: »

an abundance of female attire?

I'm sure theres fetishists in to that! More meant the female bit...

Duckjob

Mad Dog wrote: »

It is funny though how a lot of people seem to list bad points in their driving but still think they are 4 or 5 star drivers.

Fact is that nobody can be a 5 star driver and if you have bad points my reading would be that you are not as good as you think. Average or below at best in most cases.

I'd have more confidence in somebody that is aware of their weaknesses as a driver than someone who thinks they don't have any.

Savman

Average Joe's for me too. But it seems from the poll that I'm in esteemed company, there's some serious Globogym membership touting on this thread. Reality paints a different picture tho.

"We're better than you, and we know it!"

Balfa

Mad Dog wrote: »

It is funny though how a lot of people seem to list bad points in their driving but still think they are 4 or 5 star drivers.

Fact is that nobody can be a 5 star driver and if you have bad points my reading would be that you are not as good as you think. Average or below at best in most cases.

That's an awfully strange way of thinking. If you have bad points, that might stop you from being a 5 star driver, but why would it stop you being a 4 star? If neither 5 star nor 4 star drivers can have any bad points to their driving, then what's the difference between them

On top of that, of course people can be 5 star drivers... in the poll it's labelled "brilliant" not "perfect". You think there are no brilliant drivers on the planet?

Mad Dog

Duckjob wrote: »

I'd have more confidence in somebody that is aware of their weaknesses as a driver than someone who thinks they don't have any.

Speeding, overtaking on the inside and rolling into the back of the car in front while trying to adjust the stereo are not weaknesses, these are dangerous and should not be seen as otherwise.

Mad Dog

Balfa wrote: »

You think there are no brilliant drivers on the planet?

Correct !

Balfa

Mad Dog wrote: »

Correct !

That just means your understanding of the word brilliant is skewed.

Stark

A+ driver. Hear plenty of beeping of horns, but hey if you don't see anything, then that's alright.